TORONTO — If you ask the Yankees, they’ve gone from a hot start to a slowdown over the past two weeks, and just about everyone on the team can blame it on that.
Outside of Aaron Judge, the lineup has struggled across the board, with some players even worse than others.
The bullpen is in shambles.
Several key injuries have hurt both the batting and pitching staff.
But no factor may be more crucial in their downturn than the sudden spiral of their rotation.
The Yankees snapped a four-game losing streak with a 16-5 win over the Blue Jays on Friday night. On June 15, the Yankees’ starting pitchers posted a major league-worst ERA of 2.77 in 72 games, all of which were played without Gerrit Cole.
And with the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner just days away from returning and the starting rotation poised to get even stronger, it was a scary thought for opponents.
Instead, the 11 games leading up to Friday’s win were a collective struggle in which Yankees starting pitchers posted a combined 8.65 ERA, the best in the major leagues during that span.
The Yankees went 2-9 in their last 11 games and were defeated 86-43 overall.
Some of that could be chalked up to an up-and-down season, but head coach Aaron Boone acknowledged that’s only part of the problem.
“We’ve got a couple of guys that got punched in the mouth,” Boone said Friday at Rogers Centre. “We’ve got to dig in and see what areas we need to improve and adjust. [make them].”
Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman, who gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings in Friday’s win, have been mostly solid in this stretch.
But Carlos Rodon has failed for three straight games, Lewis Hill has failed for two straight games and Gerrit Cole has failed for two straight games, yet they are seeing their workload return.
“These are all things that can be fixed and we can always get our guys on the right track,” Boone said. “We just need to make some little tweaks and then compete at a high level. There’s no reason we can’t change things up right now.”
Through the first two-plus months of the season, the starting pitchers gave the Yankees a chance to win nearly every game.
However, that hasn’t been the case recently, and the Yankees have often found themselves at a major disadvantage early on.
“When you’re down 5-0 in the first quarter and 8-0 in the second quarter, it’s not easy for our offense,” Rodon said Thursday night after putting them in a tough spot early on. “That’s tough to come back from.”
In difficult times. Charles Wenzelberg
Other potential concerns that have recently emerged include:
- A lackluster lineup: Through those 11 games, the Yankees are batting .197 with a .645 OPS. Excluding the in-form Judge, they’re batting .182 with a .580 OPS. Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu have struggled most of the season, but Alex Verdugo was 4-for-38 through those 11 games on Friday, while Anthony Volpe has slumped, batting .200 with a .493 OPS over his last 20 games. Boone isn’t worried about either player, calling Verdugo “the last one I’m worried about.”
- Injuries: In addition to their slump, the middle of their lineup has also been hit hard, with Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring tightness) and Anthony Rizzo (broken arm) out during this time. Stanton could return by late next month, but Rizzo is expected to be out until August.
- Bullpen woes: The Yankees’ relief pitching corps was one of the best in the major leagues to begin the season, but has struggled over the past month or so. The Yankees are looking to reshuffle their relief pitching staff and find the right members to carry the team, but their biggest concern is likely to be addressed before the trade deadline.
