Is This Rock Bottom for the Yankees? I Hope So

"You know, Suyzn, you just can't predict baseball." Retired Yankee broadcaster John Sterling would say that to his broadcast partner, Suzyn Waldman, at least once a game.

Except the sport is more predictable than that. The Yankees, as a team and as an organization, even more so.

For example: This weekend's series against the Miami Marlins, at LoanDepot Park in Miami. In Friday night's game, Giancarlo Stanton, Trent Grisham and Anthony Volpe hit home runs for the Yankees. Volpe had maybe the best game of his career, going 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs. And, through 4 innings, Carlos Rodón had allowed 3 walks, but no hits. It was Yankees 6, Marlins 0.

Once that 6-0 lead began to crumble, it wasn't hard to predict that they would lose the game. In the bottom of the 5th, between them, Rodón and Jonathan Loáisiga allowed 4 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman.

And those new relievers that Brian Cashman picked up? Three of them appeared in this game: Jake Bird, David Bednar and Camilo Doval. None of them got the job done. The Yankees led 9-4 going into the bottom of the 7th, and 12-10 going into the bottom of the 9th. Final score: Marlins 13, Yankees 12.

The Marlins' last 5 innings, they scored 4, 0, 6, 0 and 3 runs. 40603. That's a ZIP Code in Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky.

And once that game was lost, it wasn't hard to predict that the Yankees would lose the next 2 because they'd already used up all their runs.

Rookie Cam Schlittler allowed only 2 runs in 5 innings, while Bird, Luke Weaver and Tim Hill allowed only 1 baserunner the rest of the way. But here's all the baserunners the Yankees got: A walk and a stolen base by Grisham in the 1st, followed by a single by Stanton, on which Grisham was thrown out at home plate; a walk by Jazz Chisholm in the 2nd, and he was erased on a double play; a double by Ben Rice and a walk by Paul Goldschmidt in the 5th, but they got stranded; and then absolutely nothing the rest of the way. Marlins 2, Yankees 0.

Losing 13-12, then losing 2-0. If they could have just taken 3 of the previous day's runs and applied them to that day's, or taken some of Saturday's great pitching and apply it to Friday... Alas, it doesn't work that way.

Last season's Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, had been injured all season. He made his debut yesterday. He could have used one more minor-league rehab start: He went 3 1/3rd innings, allowing 5 hits on 5 runs and 4 walks. The bullpen was okay after that, but it didn't matter. Grisham led off the game with a home run, and he drew a walk in the 3rd. Jasson Domínguez led off with a single in the 5th, followed by Marlins starter Edward Cabrera striking out the side.

Stanton led off the 7th with a single, and Chisholm hit a home run. After 2 strikeouts, Volpe hit a triple, and there seemed to be hope, but Austin Wells flew out. Grisham led off the 8th with a walk, and Chisholm led off the 9th with a single, but both were stranded. Marlins 6, Yankees 3. The sweep was complete.

After yesterday's game, Aaron Boone, in his capacity as Yankee press secretary, taking the hard questions so that actual manager Brian Cashman doesn't have to, spouted his share of platitudes:

* "Every year is different. Every group's a little bit different. I have a lot of confidence in our team."

* "I don't even know if we're necessarily that far into anything."

* "It's getting to be real gut-check time. It's getting late. It's certainly not too late for us, and I am confident that we're gonna get it together, but that's all it is right now. It's empty until we start doing it." (A variation on Yogi Berra's line, "It gets late early out there.")

On May 28, the Yankees led the American League Eastern Division by 7 games. Now, they are 4 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, and a game and a half behind the Boston Red Sox. They lead the Seattle Mariners by just half a game for the last AL Wild Card berth, and 2 1/2 games over the Texas Rangers, with whom they start an away series tonight.

Since June 6, the Yankees have gone 22-29. The Chicago White Sox, the Sacramento Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates are each in last place in their respective Divisions, and all have played better than that since then. Not just record-wise, either: There's been swinging at bad pitches, lots of errors -- although Domínguez has significantly improved in left field, and Ryan McMahon has been the answer at 3rd base, at least defensively -- and baserunning blunders.

Sometimes a team has to "hit rock bottom" before it can work its way back up. I hope this is rock bottom for the Yankees.

But, as we have seen, it might not be.

One bit of good news: Aaron Judge is eligible to come off the Injured List tomorrow night. Hopefully, having his bat back in the lineup will help. Hopefully, the newly bulked-up bullpen will pitch like they did yesterday and the night before, and not like they did the night before that.

Enough hope. I want results. Starting tonight.

Right, that makes me sound like Leon Hess. In 1995, the owner of the Jets said, "I'm 80 years old. I want results now!" And he hired Rich Kotite. And he went 3-13. And 1-15 the next year. And he quit. And Hess hired Bill Parcells. And Parcells got the Jets into the AFC Championship Game in 2 years. And then Hess died.

Hey, Yankees: I want results. Would it help if I said, "Please?"