"Coming out of the All-Star break, Manager Mike Scioscia said he expected Hideki Matsui to "be very productive in the second half" and to end up with "numbers that are comparable to what he did in New York last season."

So far, the numbers don't add up.

Matsui hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 10-2 win over the Yankees, but he's batting .249 with 11 homers, 49 runs batted in, 26 runs and 70 strikeouts in 96 games, putting him on pace for 18 homers, 82 RBIs, a career-low 43 runs and a career-high 118 strikeouts.

The 36-year-old Matsui's previous low for average was .274 in 2009, a season in which he had 28 homers and 90 RBIs and won World Series most valuable player honors.

Matsui opened the season as the Angels' cleanup hitter and was dropped to fifth in early May, but he has not been driving the ball like a middle-of-the-order hitter.

He's hitting .291 with runners in scoring position, but his homer Tuesday was only his second since June 7, and he has one double since June 22.

A career .294 hitter against left-handers entering 2010, Matsui has struggled so much against lefties (.183 this season) that Scioscia has benched him against several lefties in recent weeks.

The Angels hope Matsui's liner into the right-field seats off Chan-Ho Park on Tuesday night is a flash point for the designated hitter.

"I don't have a Ouija board out right now," Scioscia said. "Hopefully it's a good sign that he will contribute the way he can in the second half.""