Minimum Requirement

For the Yankees, getting 2 wins in their 4-game roadtrip against the Tampa Bay Rays was like two drinks at a comedy club: It was the minimum.

And the split would have felt better if we'd won any of the 1st 3, and then the finale, rather than how it actually happened, winning the 1st 2 and then losing the last 2.

Yesterday, in the series finale, Gleyber Torres went 3-for-4. Aaron Judge went 2-for-4. Each hit a home run. But each was a solo home run. Miguel Andújar went 2-for-4. The rest of the team, combined, reached base only twice in 24 plate appearances.

Luis Severino pitched into the 7th inning, and only gave up 2 hits. Both were home runs. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, and he walked the bases loaded in the 7th. Aaron Boone took him out, and brought in Ron Marinaccio, who is not a major league-quality pitcher. He forced in a run with another walk, and forced in another run by hitting the next batter. That was the ballgame.

Rays 4, Yankees 2. WP: Shane McClanahan. SV: J.P. Feyereisen (1). LP: Severino (3-1).

So, 30 percent of the way into the regular season, the Yankees lead the American League Eastern Division by 4 1/2 games over the Rays, 5 1/2 over the Toronto Blue Jays, 10 over the Boston Red Sox, and 13 1/2 over the Baltimore Orioles. Cliché Alert: In the all-important loss column, they lead the Rays by 4, the Jays by 5, The Scum by 10, and the O's by 14.

The Rays, the Jays and the Sox all seem to have straightened out, the 1st 2 after recent downturns, the Sox after a horrible start.

The Yankees still have the best record in baseball. But their hitting issues have returned. Here's the OPS+'s, keeping in mind that 100 is exactly average:

Aaron Judge 198

Giancarlo Stanton 148 (currently on Injured List)

Anthony Rizzo 131

Tim LoCastro 130 (IL)

Matt Carpenter 126 (just got here)

Josh Donaldson 123 (IL)

Gleyber Torres 115

DJ LeMahieu 105

Jose Trevino 85

Isiah Kiner-Falefa 79

Miguel Andújar 78

Aaron Hicks 68

Joey Gallo 67

Marwin González 58

Kyle Higashioka 27

Estevan Florial -73

Nope, Florial's is not a misprint. People saying we have to get rid of Hicks and/or Gallo want to replace them with Florial. He's 24. He's had his chances. He's not going to get much better than this.

Today is Memorial Day. In baseball tradition, a day for reflection on the sacrifices of our fallen in war, and for doubleheaders. But the Yankees do not play at all today, not even the makeup of a rainout. They begin a homestand tomorrow night, with 2 games against the Los Angeles Angels and 3 against the Detroit Tigers, before heading out to Minnesota. Time to start hitting again.