Time to Turn It Around, Or Tell a Sad Tale

Just when you thought the Yankees would never hit and win again, they started hitting and winning like nobody's business. Just as quickly, just when you thought the hitting and winning would never stop, they did. Stopped cold.

This past weekend's series with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park should have gone very differently. The Tigers were 19-31. In the American League, only the Baltimore Orioles had a worse record.

But the Yankees just didn't hit in the 1st 2 games. They got 1 run in regulation on Friday night, losing 3-2 in 10 innings. They got 1 run on Saturday afternoon. And Sunday afternoon would be no better.

The injury crisis meant that Michael King would be the starting pitcher, neither Zack Britton nor Darren O'Day would be available to relieve, Giancarlo Stanton would be the designated hitter, Clint Frazier would have Stanton's place in let field, Tyler Wade would be in cener field, and Miguel Andujar would be at 1st base.

And it was a bad game. King didn't get out of the 3rd inning, allowing 4 runs, although only 2 were earned. Nestor Cortes had been called up, and should have stayed down. Nick Nelson pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings, but, by then, it was too late. Gio Urshela made an error, and Gleyber Torres made 2 of them.

The Yankees actually got 9 hits. Frazier, DJ LeMahieu, and the much-maligned Gary Sanchez each got 2 of them. But it was already 6-0 after 3 innings, and the only Yankee runs came in the 8th, on RBI singles by Torres and Sanchez.

After his error in the 3rd, Torres got mad. One fan on Twitter said, "Gleyber Torres going full Paul O'Neill in the dugout, beating his glove against everything in sight. Haven't seen that from him before." So at least he cared about how badly he was doing.

In the 9th, the Yankees made it slightly interesting. Andujar led off with an infield single. Frazier singled him to 3rd. But Wade struck out, and LeMahieu popped up. But Stanton walked on 4 pitches, and, suddenly, the bases were loaded. The tying run was at the plate, and it was Aaron Judge, batting against Michael Fulmer.

Judge swung at 2 way-outside breaking balls. A 3rd was outside for ball 1. Then, like a dope -- or like Carlos Beltran with the 2006 National League Pennant on the line for the Mets -- he took strike 3 right down the middle to end it.

Tigers 6, Yankees 2. WP: Tarik Skubal (2-7 -- that's right, he came into this game 1-7). No save. LP: King (0-2). It was the 1st time the Tigers had swept the Yankees in Detroit since 2000.

The Yankees were 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position in the series.

After the game, Judge said, "What we've been putting out there right now is not our best, and it's unacceptable. That's where we just have to kind of dig down deeper and make some changes. You just can't keep coming to the plate, trying to do the same thing and expecting different results."

And manager Aaron Boone, sounding like a broken record (kids, if you don't know what that means, ask your parents): "This is just a bad ending to a terrible weekend. We've got to get better."

*

So, today, Memorial Day, the last day of May, the Yankees are 29-24, for a winning percentage of .547. Over 162 games that would be a record of 88-74, possibly good enough to make the Playoffs with a Wild Card berth.

The contemptible Tampa Bay Rays lead the AL Eastern Division. The despised Boston Red Sox are 1 game behind them. The Yankees are 4 1/2 games back, the Toronto Blue Jays 6, and the Baltimore Orioles 16 1/2. In the loss column, the Rays and Sox are even, the Yankees are 4 back, the Jays 5, and the O's 16.

And these OPS+'s, by and large, are not good, and that's with improvements for some, keeping in mind that 100 is exactly average: Aaron Judge 170 (fat lot of good that did him yesterday), Giancarlo stanton 136, Kyle Higashioka 108, Gio Urshela 104, Gary Sanchez 100, DJ LeMahieu 100, Gleyber Torres 98, Rougned Odor 87, Aaron Hicks 79 (and now out for the season due to injury), Clint Frazier 72, Tyler Wade 70, Mike Ford 69, Luke Voit 53 (and currently injured), Brett Gardner 52, Miguel Andujar 34, Jay Bruce 34 (and shamed into retirement).

The pitching has carried this team thus far. But with Corey Kluber injured, Luis Severino still not back, and Jameson Taillon not yet proving to be a good answer, there are now 3 holes in the rotation.

This afternoon, the Yankees begin a 4-game home series against the Rays, followed by one of 3 games against the Red Sox. This week may well tell the tale of whether the Yankees turn it around, and make the Playoffs, or not.

If not, it will be a sad tale to tell.