Alex Rodriguez takes seat again, yet Curtis Granderson is even worse

Alex Rodriguez was removed for a pinch-hitter for the second straight game Thursday and rightfully so. Yet A-Rod hasn’t been the Yankees’ worst performer through four postseason games. That title goes to Curtis Granderson.

Granderson went 0-for-5 with three more strikeouts in Thursday’s loss to the Orioles. He’s 1-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the series, with his lone hit being a single. A-Rod is 2-for-16 after collecting himself a single tonight, giving him merely the third worst average in the lineup. Robinson Cano is just 2-for-18, though he at least has three RBI to his credit. Both of his hits have been doubles.

For all of his homers — and he hit 43 of them — Granderson wasn’t a particularly good hitter for the Yankees this year after his hot start. He came in at .196 in August and .178 in September before padding his numbers a bit in the three-game sweep of the Red Sox to close the season (he went 6-for-13 with three homers). If not for that series, his 40-homer season could have been considered the worst ever.

If there was ever a time for Granderson to bust out again, it’d be Friday’s Game 5. He hits quite a bit better at home, and he’ll be facing a right-hander in Jason Hammel. Any time he hits a fly to right in Yankee Stadium, it’s a threat to leave the yard.

But to do that, he’s going to have to make some contact. With those nine strikeouts in 16 plate appearances, even Mark Reynolds is feeling bad for him right now.