The Yankees made more contact at the plate Wednesday evening including three home runs off the bat of Aaron Judge against Washington Nationals pitching as the Yankees broke a historic nine game losing streak.
The rare occurrence was 9-runs and eight hits from the Yankees offense, and Judge accounting for a career high 6 RBI and three home run game. Thursday afternoon in the Bronx, again, it was Judge hitting his fourth home run in two games, but the Yankees lost another series as the Nationals took the rubber game 6-5.
These last two games with the Nationals the Yankees bats came alive a bit, however nothing to brag about as they continue to be next to last in slugging, on base percentage, and team batting average in the league.
So the architect of this team, GM Brian Cashman, said the season has been “a disaster” and he ain’t kidding, though what took him so long to say so. With five weeks remaining, manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees are counting the days for this disaster of a 2023 season to conclude.
Nothing to play for now except the pride of wearing Yankee pinstripes and spanning the globe to reconstruct a roster that certainly needs more than a piece of adhesive tape. That also includes the uncertainty of Boone and his coaching staff.
So bad is this Yankees team it caused Suzyn Waldman ( longtime Yankees’ radio broadcaster) saying on a hot mic, “How boring.” Yet fans continue to show up in the Bronx, if not 42,000 or 36,000 of tickets sold and probably rooting for another Judge home run (number 28) like the one to deep to right-center in the first inning Thursday afternoon. Or rooting for Gerrit Cole who is having an AL Cy Young Award season.
Want some encouragement. Even though it was an improved and last place Nationals team, the Yankees made it interesting with a 9th inning rally that failed. Giancarlo Stanton drove in a run with his rare 4-for-5 afternoon, but again the Yankees left nine on base, 1-for-10 in scoring position. They stranded two in the final inning of a game that was interesting because the Nationals bullpen is not one of their strengths.
The Yankees have not won a series since a sweep over the Royals in late July. Yes, the Royals, second worst team in baseball and then the Yankees struggled to score runs during the sweep.
Regardless, the disaster will continue and the inevitable first losing season in 30 years will see the Yankees on pace to lose 85 games. The clubhouse is quiet, Boone continues to provide the same postgame and boring answers to the media and mentioned how the Yankees could not hold a lead.
And how the Yankees once reliable bullpen failed again. Some will blame Boone, and others point to how analytics has taxed that once reliable bullpen that for the most part had been the best in baseball.
“I thought we swung the bats well today,” Boone said again. “Made a couple mistakes that show up in this game. So, yeah. It’s frustrating you couldn’t finish it off, especially when you get a lead and you know the backend of the bullpen’s coming. But we’ve got to move on.”
Moving on is the responsibility of Cashman, who has vowed to evaluate what went wrong and in due time changes are bound to occur. Cashman, though, as much as a Yankees fan base wants his long tenure to conclude, will remain in the Bronx.
Call it loyalty from the owner, or confidence that the GM can evaluate and get it right. Either way, Cashman has a job until he says I had enough. His reputation of delivering four World Series titles since assuming his role in 1998 remains intact.
But these are not the Yankees of that championship era, not by a long shot. Nor are they the Yankees under the late George Steinbrenner who would have cleaned house by now and made immediate changes. Again, a different era that also has their deep budget analytics department wondering what went wrong?
Cashman is at a loss of words as to what went wrong and that was determined when he addressed the media Wednesday evening. We heard the GM and the frustration. Yet the architect of this roster is responsible for a last place team that sits in uncharted territory.
The last place Yankees and not a part of October baseball does not sound right. And the Yankees as one of the worst teams in the American League or all of baseball also does not sound right. Nevertheless, the worst is a reality and no postseason also.
So Cashman said this has been a shock. But this has been building with a roster tied into a multi-million Stanton contract that has been a failure. Upgrades to the starting rotation have basically failed, and don’t blame the injuries to Nestor Cortes, the ineffectiveness and flaws of Luis Severino, and suspension of Domingo German because, overall the Yankees are not a good baseball team.
Cashman and the Yankees player evaluation team also did not get it right, signing Carlos Rodon to a six-year $162 million contract that has been a disaster. Lack of pitching depth has caused Boone to go with that open starter and one too many that became the role for Michael King Thursday afternoon. There is so much more that will be evaluated when the last pitch is thrown in five weeks.
“Certainly I don’t think anybody on our side of the fence, from our player group, coaches, manager, or even outside the organization, would have predicted this,” Cashman said.
But to me the sole culprit is the GM. He is the architect that put together this failure in the Bronx. Or as he says, a disaster.
Rich Mancuso: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso