Dominating Upcoming Soft Slate Necessary to Prove Yanks Have Turned Corner
The Yankees, who appeared headed for hospice care following a 9-21 slump through July 26, have seemingly been resuscitated over this past week.
New York’s 4-3 triumph in ten innings over visiting Toronto on Sunday was their seventh in their last eight games and its third consecutive series victory. After all that agita, Yankees fans looking at the standings on Monday morning see a dead heat at the top of the AL East, with New York and Baltimore each holding 67-46 records.
It could have been worse.
Two months is too long to call the race to the finish line “a sprint”, but it’s clear that the Yankees must push the pace over the next three weeks to maximize their division title hopes. Over their next 21 games, the Yankees will play just one three-game series versus AL Central-leading Cleveland against a winning team. This stretch will commence with the Mike Trout-less Angels starting on Tuesday and then include the Rangers, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies, and Nationals. Chicago and Colorado are the worst teams in their respective leagues, with the Sox currently suffering through a 20-game losing streak.
Anything less than total domination, in the form of something like a 15-6 run or better would, from my perspective, be an underachievement. By the end of the month, we’ll have a better understanding as to whether the Yankees have indeed righted the ship.
Earlier in the season, the Bronx Bombers pounded the lesser clubs. As of June 14, they led all of MLB in both runs scored and ERA. Only the Phillies could boast better starting pitching in terms of win probability added while New York’s bullpen ranked fifth in the category, according to fangraphs.com. In May, the team set an MLB record with 15 straight games during which their starters, with reigning Cy Young Award winner Garret Cole sidelined, went at least five innings while allowing no more than two runs. The streak ended when Carlos Rodon surrendered three runs over six innings in an 8-3 win at the Angels.
Unfortunately, things fell apart just when the competition stiffened. Rodon, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman, and Nestor Cortes severely regressed, routinely putting their team behind in the early innings. Since June 15, Cole leads the starters with a 5.09 ERA, with the home cooking Cortez the only other posting a sub-6 number.
It has stressed a lineup that became overly dependent on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who have walked a combined 76 times in the last 41 games. Judge was intentionally walked three times on Sunday. Having Giancarlo Stanton back on the field after missing more than a month with (another) hamstring strain has helped a little with protection, but the Yankees didn’t really start winning again until they saw improved production from the rest of the lineup.
Newly acquired Jazz Chisholm has provided a spark, posting a 1.064 OPS in his seven games since being freed from the lowly Marlins. Sophomore shortstop Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo have reemerged from their slumps, combining to score 19 runs in New York’s last eight games. Even DJ LeMahieu, whom I pilloried in my last post, won two games on his own with a 6-RBI day in Wednesday’s 6-5 victory to polish off a three-game sweep at Philadelphia and then came through with a walk-off single against a five-man Toronto infield on Sunday.
Then again, LeMahieu has a measly .214 OBP (with two sacrifice flies) during this mini-Yankees revival, so I wouldn’t be so quick to say he’s back to his old mashing ways just yet.
Like with any baseball player, you measure success through consistency. And this next 21-game run will go a long way in showing whether the Yankees have the dog in them to legitimately contend for that (somewhat) elusive 28th World Series title or will let the so-called Dog Days of August doom them to another also-ran season.