The Yankees were swept in the three game series at Fenway Park
The Yankees were swept in the three game series at Fenway Park against the Red Sox that ended on Sunday. They are on a four-game losing streak overall.
In their last three series, with six of the eight games being against the rival Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have gone an inept 2–6. In the six games the Yankees have played against the Red Sox in the last 10 days, the Yankees went 1–5 and in those six games the scored an average of 2.5 runs a game. That offensive ineptitude was a very big factor in only winning one game in that six game span.
Aaron Judge, who won the MVP last season after setting the American League record for homers in a season with 62 in addition leading the league in runs scored, RBI, walks, average, slugging %, OPS and OPS+, has not played since injuring himself while making an outstanding catch in the second game of the Los Angeles Dodgers series in LA on June 3. He was on his way to possibly another MVP season since he had 19 homers, 40 RBI, 20 doubles, a .404 OBP in 49 games and he is leading the league with his .674 slugging percentage and 1.078 OPS while also having a very impressive 194 OPS+. His absence has really hurt the Yankees offense.
The Yankees are 4–8 since Aaron Judge went on the injured list. They have a .195 team batting average and are scoring just 3.25 runs a game since Judge went on the IL.
During the last two games of the most recent Red Sox series that ended two days ago, which includes the doubleheader on Sunday, the Yankees went 0–11 with runners in scoring position in game two of the doubleheader and 1–5 in game one of the doubleheader. This led to a pathetic 1–16 with runners in scoring position in the two games, which was what prevented them from scoring more than three runs in the two games of the doubleheader.
In their previous two games, the first two losses of the four game losing streak, the Yankees were 3–8 with runners in scoring position in the 15–5 loss to the Red Sox and an abysmal 1–15 in the loss in the last game of the two game series against the Mets. If the Yankees would have gone even 2–15 in that game against the Mets they likely would have won since they lost 4–3 in 10 innings. In the 4–3 loss to the Mets, the one through four hitters in the lineup combined to go 1–16 and go 1–7 with runners in scoring position.
The pitching, which has been a real strength this season, was not good at all in the first game of the series against the Red Sox. Justin Turner had a grand slam, a two-run homer and a double as he drove in six of the team’s 15 runs. Masataka Yoshida went 4–4 with three RBI.
In that 15–5 loss, Domingo German allowed seven earned runs and seven hits in 2.0 innings and this subpar performance raised his ERA from 3.49 to 4.30. He had been dominant in recent weeks since he had allowed two runs or less in six of his previous seven starts before Friday and he had only allowed seven runs combined in his previous five starts before allowing seven runs in that start against the Red Sox.
Matt Krook made his MLB debut in that game on Friday after being in the bullpen for 12 games after being called up without appearing in a game. Fenway Park is a challenging place to make you MLB debut and he proceeded to underwhelm allowing five earned runs in 1.2 innings, which included a grand slam to Turner in the third inning.
Krook is just the second Yankees pitcher to allow a grand slam in his MLB debut. The other was Anthony Claggett on April 18, 2009. Claggett would pitch in only two other MLB games.
Krook, who was drafted in the 4th round in 2016 out of University of Oregon by the Giants, had a dominant 1.47 ERA, a 1.091 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 18.1 innings (13 games) this season with Triple-A Scranton before being called up to the Yankees. Krook has transitioned to being a relief pitcher after being a starting pitcher in 22 of his 29 games last season with Triple-A Scranton. He decision has worked for him since last season he had a 4.09 ERA and this season his ERA is much improved at Triple-A.
Some good news on the injury front is that Harrison Bader will be returning to the Yankees for the Mariners series, which begins tonight. In a corresponding move the Yankees sent the struggling Oswaldo Cabrera down to the Triple-A Scranton RailRiders.
The Yankees initially sent Cabrera down to Triple A earlier this month to rediscover and improve his swing. But because of an injury to Greg Allen, Cabrera made a cross-country flight to Los Angeles after being with the Triple-A affiliate for just a few hours. Cabrera has just 14 plate appearances this month since returning to the Yankees and had gone just 2–14 in that span. Overall, Cabrera’s last 16 games, he has gone just 3–26 with a homer and two RBI.
Cabrera, who had a .190 average and a very low 49 OPS+ in 60 game this season, will try to find his swing and hit more like he did last season or better when he had a .247 average, a .312 OBP and an above league average 110 OPS+ in 44 games. He is an upbeat and positive presence in the clubhouse and it will help if he can improve and show his ability at Triple-A and return as a backup later in the season.
Bader, who was injured to begin the season and was injured when the Yankees acquired him last July, was sent to the 10-day IL on May 30 with a right hamstring stain. He has a .267 average, a .295 OBP and a .511 SLG in 26 games this season with six homers and 19 RBI. His 19 RBI are sixth on the team, which is ahead of Cabrera, Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Willie Calhoun, who have all played at least 15 games more than him.
Bader had a .333 average and a .378 OBP in his first 13 games but after that in his next 13 games he went 10–48 (.208) to lower his average from .333 to the .267 it is now. He did have three homers and seven RBI in those 13 games, which is a plus. He will likely be a hitter who is somewhere in between what he was in the first 13 games and the following 13 games.
However, should be a bit of an upgrade with his offense but he will really improve the outfield defense.
Bader is one of the best defenders in the game at center field position, ranked in the 93rd percentile of Outs Above Average, according to Statcast. The Yankees had been filling center field with Billy McKinney and Kiner-Falefa, who have both held their own but aren’t the caliber of outfielder that Bader is.
The Yankees also announced today that Carlos Rodon, who they signed in the offseason to a six-year contract for and $162 million, will began a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset. The starting pitcher has been on the injured list the entire season due to a muscle strain in his left forearm. His return was delayed by a back injury and the cause of this was not known.
The Yankees said he will likely need three minor league starts before making his season debut and overall debut with the Yankees. Rodon, who was drafted out of NC State in the first round in 2014 by the White Sox, should be able to be a dynamic top of the rotation with Gerrit Cole.
Rodon, who only pitched in 11 games combined in 2019 and 2020 and had an ERAs of 5.19 and 8.22 in those two seasons, pitched very well in 2021 and 2022. He had a 2.37 ERA and a great 185 ERA+ in 24 starts in 2021 and then a 2.88 ERA and a 138 ERA+ in 31 starts in 2022. He will really help the rotation the last three months of the season if he can have similar stats as the last two seasons when he finished fifth in Cy Young voting and then sixth in Cy Young voting.
The Yankees will need Bader to help the offense and the offense to improve overall to improve on their 3.25 runs a game in the last 12 games. Scoring more runs per game will lead to more wins overall. The Yankees are 3–7 in their last 10 games and in 3rd place in the AL East, 10.5 games behind Tampa Bay. The Yankees are only 1.5 games in front of the last place Red Sox.
The Yankees are 10.5 games out in the division now but after Judge’s last game, a 6–3 win over the Dodgers on June 3, the Yankees were just 6.0 games behind Tampa Bay in the division. This proves how important Judge is to the team.
