New York Yankees: Good news and Bad news following torturous loss to Tampa Bay

The New York Yankees fell for the second consecutive game at home to the Tampa Bay Rays, who have displayed dominant pitching in both contests. On Wednesday evening, starter Tyler Glasnow pummeled the Yankees with heat-seeking fastballs, closing in on 100 MPH. His 8Ks over 5.2 innings were impressive, and while Gerrit Cole was sufficient for the Bombers, he gave up two homers and allowed six hits.

Cole has now given up a home run in six consecutive games, daring hitters with his changeup but has failed to get that bite at times. The loss shouldn’t be attributed to Cole, though, who once again limited his opposition.

The Yankees’ primary problem was their offense, who only scored two runs. Overall, they had four hits on the night, a desperate attempt without their three best players: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and DJ LeMahieu.

FINAL SCORE: 4-2

The good news and bad news for the New York Yankees:

GOOD NEWS:

The Yankees’ offense has been lackluster in the absence of their three best players. The pitching with solid, despite Zack Britton allowing one run in the only inning of work he managed on Wednesday. The good news really doesn’t have much to do with the game itself, but rather the progression of their injured players.

DJ LeMahieu was seen throwing the ball and fielding a bit prior to the start of the game, as he works his way back from my thumb injury. He stated that it was sore, but doctors have advised him to sit out for at least two weeks. While the Yankees could certainly use his offensive abilities sooner, taking every precaution with one of their top players is essential.

Aaron Judge, on the other hand, has been taking batting practice and training well. He is ready to return when his 10-day spell on the injured list is up. While manager Aaron Boone was more cautiously optimistic regarding Judge’s health, the slugger has stated he’s ready to return.

BAD NEWS:

The bad news comes down to offense. Being held just four hits is unacceptable for a Yankee team capable of much more. Despite not having their three best hitters, they have plenty of talent to go around and supplement their losses adequately. It is OK to have an off game, but the Yankees didn’t do much in the first game against Tampa Bay, putting up three runs.

In the sixth inning, with Gerrit Cole at 109 pitches, Boone took him out of the game. Cole was visibly upset and frustrated that he wasn’t able to get the final out, storming out of the dugout and into the clubhouse. This isn’t entirely bad news, but Boone not letting him finish the inning could create some animosity between the two.

Boone always states that Zack Britton was holding leg after his outing and they were running tests on him after the game (more to come on this).