Another Clunker As The Yankees Stumble To The End!

Well that’s a game I think we’d all love to forget. I bet Marcus Stroman does too, but of course Yankee fans don’t forget anything. We especially don’t forget clunkers like yesterday’s game. The Yankees are about to cross the finish line of the regular season, and they don’t look like they are ready for postseason domination at all.

There are just so many things not “clicking” right now and Aaron Boone can make all the excuses he wants, but he doesn’t get it. I always talk about the importance of repetition and a routine, especially for starters. They need to pitch every five days, and they need a bullpen routine when they aren’t starting. Stroman hasn’t been a solid starter for us, but when someone is already struggling and then they start a game for the first time in 15 days, it’s not a good setup. The Yankees took a big gamble, and only because Nestor Cortes is on the Injured List. The gamble didn’t pay off….and no one should be surprised.

When the first six batters get hits off of you, that’s a big red flag. It’s a miracle the Yankees were able to limit the damage and escape with only three runs in the first inning. The Orioles still took batting practice off Stroman though had 10 hits and six earned runs. He didn’t give up any laser beams, but the Orioles still executed with what they do well….they put balls in play and found holes. I wish the Yankees could do that.

There are four games left in the regular season, and things are just not clicking on all cylinders. The Yankees are supposed to be World Series favorites, and at this point they should be a well-oiled machine. When you consider the recent Gleyber Torres fumble and the ball Jasson Dominguez just overran we don’t look postseason ready.

The Yankees are limping to the end when they should be sprinting. The Yankees need to win today, they cannot afford a sweep to the Orioles. I am not even talking about it from a division title perspective, but just a team morale standpoint and having momentum heading into the postseason. After today, the Yankees get the Pirates at home and will face Paul Skenes and that will be a tough test to start the last series of the regular season. I hope the Yankees are more prepared for it.

Big picture, does it sting that the Yankees lost the first two games of the series to the Orioles? Yes. Are they in serious danger of not being division champions? Not serious danger, because if the Yankees losing streak continues the Orioles still have to win ALL of their remaining games to win the division. It could be worse…. but it doesn’t give me warm and fuzzy feelings.

It’s an ugly way to finish. Even uglier when you think about the likelihood that the Yankees will see the Orioles again in the division series. Wake up, Yankees!

–Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa