I wouldn't mind the Yankees being 8-7 if they hadn't started the season 7-1. But they've lost 5 straight, by a combined 7 runs, and fallen into a tie for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division.
Last Tuesday, they started a home series with the Sacramento Athletics. Cam Schlittler started, and had the worst start of his career, allowing 3 runs over 5 innings. Fortunately, Amed Rosario hit 2 home runs, including a 3-run shot in the 8th, and the Yankees won, 5-3. Fernando Cruz was the winning pitcher.
Since then, though, the Yankees' hits and runs have been few and far between. Will Warren started against former Yankee Luis Severino on Wednesday night, and neither of them got past the 5th inning. The Yankees got 2 runs in the 1st, and that was it: The rest of the way, the got just 1 hit and 5 walks. The A's tied the game in the 4th, and in the 9th, David Bednar allowed a single, a double, and a sacrifice fly, and the Yankees lost 3-2.
The Thursday afternoon game was even more frustrating. Ryan Weathers, who has thus far been little more than a plug in a hole in the rotation, pitched his best game as a Yankee, going 8 innings, allowing 1 run on 7 hits and no walks, striking out 7. But A's starter Jeffrey Springs didn't allow a hit until Ben Rice singled in the 7th. The Yankees lost, 1-0.
Online, Met fans were joking about the Yankees losing 2 out of 3 at home to the "homeless" A's, who left Oakland and are playing the 2nd of what they hope will be 3 seasons in Sacramento, in the hope that their dome in Las Vegas will be ready in 2028. Then the A's went across town to Citi Field, and swept the Mets in 3 straight: 4-0, 11-6 and 1-0.
Not so easy, is it, you Flushing morons?
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Then the Yankees went down to play the Tampa Bay Rays, at the restored dome of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a year of repairs while they played at the Yankees' Spring Training home in Tampa, Steinbrenner Field.
Luis Gil came off the Injured List to make his 1st start of the season. He wasn't ready, going 4 innings, and allowing 3 runs on 3 hits. Rice hit a home run, but the Yankees only got 4 other hits, and lost, 5-3.
Max Fried started on Saturday night. He went 8 innings, so it should have been enough to save the bullpen. Except the Yankees struggled again, with Austin Wells hitting a home run, but getting only 3 other hits in the 1st 7 innings.
The game went to extra innings. José Caballero singled home "ghost runner" Randal Grichuk in the top of the 10th. In the bottom of the 10th, Bednar blew it again, allowing single, single, intentional walk, getting a strikeout, and a fielder's choice allowed the winning run: Rays 5, Yankees 4.
Schlittler started again on Sunday, allowing 3 runs on 5 innings. But the Yankees got only 1 hit in the 1st 6 innings. Aaron Judge hit a home run in the 9th, but it wasn't enough: Again, Rays 5, Yankees 4.
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As of this writing, the Yankees, the Rays, and the Baltimore Orioles are all tied atop the AL East at 8-7. The Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays are both 6-9, 2 games back. The Yankees' great start has been wiped out.
On the other hand, there have been times since Title 27 in 2009 when an 8-7 start would have been considered a big improvement. So I can't complain that much. But the Yankees currently have a team batting average of .202, an on-base percentage of .308, a slugging percentage of .345, and an average of 4.3 runs scored per game. That's not only unacceptable, it's ridiculous. Aristophanes-level ridiculous. So I can complain.
Tonight, they are back home, to start a 4-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, followed by 3 at home against the Kansas City Royals. Then it's off to Boston to face The Scum.
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