Derek Jeter hit his first home run of the season a few minutes ago, a solo shot to rightfield with one out in the first inning. He had a 128 at-bat homerless streak to start the season, the longest streak to start a season of his career.
Here are some notes on Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi, each of whom has begun having more success in the past few days. In the past seven days, Cano is batting .318 (7-of-22) with two doubles, two homers and four RBIs. Giambi is batting .267 (4-of-15) with two doubles, two homers and six RBIs.
I talked to Giambi before yesterday's game about whether Thursday's game (in which he homered off Paul Byrd) could help jump-start him. He said: "Everybody wants to keep talking about results, and that's what matters. But I'm making contact. It'd be a different situation if I was striking out or not making contact. I feel great (at the plate)."
That's why this slump has been tough for him (still hitting only .178 on the year), because he feels like his approach is one that should bring success. "Trust me, it's not fun to be looking up and see those numbers," said Giambi, who homered last night too.
Just three players in the American League had more than Giambi's seven home runs. Of his 16 hits this season, 12 have gone for extra-bases.