The Associated Press

BOSTON - A man of routine, Nomar Garciaparra has become a routine out in the playoffs.

The fidgety Red Sox shortstop is struggling in the AL Championship Series, going hitless again Tuesday in a 4-2 loss that gave New York a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

After going 0-for-2 in Game 5, Garciaparra does not have a hit in his last 10 at-bats. He did walk twice and manage to drive in a run - his first RBI in 10 games this postseason - on a groundout in the eighth inning that cut the deficit to 4-2.

But he also struck out in the third with runners on second and third when Boston trailed 3-1.

"I know Nomar, he's a great hitter," Yankees starter David Wells said. "You can't take him for granted, because he can snap out of a slump at any time, and when he does, it's going to be loud. I just try to avoid that situation."

Garciaparra is superstitious in the field and in the batter's box, where he habitually tugs at his batting gloves and rocks on his spikes while he waits for the pitch. The routine makes him comfortable at the plate, and it's usually hard to argue with the results.

He is a five-time All-Star and two-time AL batting champion, and he finished fifth in the league this season with 198 hits - 78 for extra bases, including 13 triples. Along with Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, Garciaparra is a big reason the Red Sox led the majors in batting average and had a .491 slugging percentage that broke the record set by the 1927 Yankees.

But something seems wrong with Garciaparra in the playoffs.

Against the Yankees, he has just two hits in 19 at-bats. And after his third-inning strikeout stranded two baserunners, he threw two balls into the dugout during warmups.

"I'm fine. I'm fine. Don't make any excuses," he said. "I'm part of a great team: They try to pick me up, I try to pick them up."

But nobody picked anybody up Tuesday. The Red Sox managed just four hits off Wells and one run, on Ramirez's solo homer, failing to get a single hit in five at-bats with runners in scoring position.

"At certain times, the hits seem to be easy. Other times you have to work really hard for them," Boston manager Grady Little said. "This is one of those times we're working really hard for them."

Little said he didn't think dropping his shortstop from the third spot in the order would help.