It is as much psychological as performance related; had they at least split the series with NY, there is one more game left I know, they psychological bump that would have given them could have worked wonders even with Baldelli as manager and pitching that is mediocre on a good day.
With Donaldson not playing third and Simmons in a slump and an apparent contest to see how many players can bat below .220 it is what it is and it isn't much; bring in a bunch of rookies as sooo many here think is so important, and it will get worse.
The owners want/need fans in the stands, fan will come to see a competent major league team, not a AAA team playing at AA level.
Money ball is not a bunch of math geeks running computations, money ball is fans in the stands.