There wasn’t much positive news to extract from Wednesday’s double-header losses to the Atlanta Braves. Scoring a total of two runs over both contests, the New York Yankees offense sputtered to a halt, and their pitching struggled at times. Aside from starter Masahiro Tanaka having his best outing of the 2020 season, ace Gerrit Cole allowed three homers and five earned runs in his game one start.
Tanaka, however, lasted five innings, allowing just three hits and striking out four batters. His 66 pitch count did not justify manager Aaron Boone taking him out early, who cited his “empty tank” as a reason. Just one inning later, relief pitcher Chad Green gave up a two-run homer to give the Braves a 2-1 lead and ultimately the victory.
If those two losses weren’t bad enough for you, star slugger Aaron Judge was pulled after minimal action for tweaking his calf. Judge had been “begging” the coaching staff to remain on the active roster and stating that he was 100% healthy. It took him only a few innings to prove everyone right.
Boone stated that there is a solid chance Judge lands on the injured list again, which would be extremely disappointing considering the lack of offensive consistency.
With a lackluster pitching unit, the New York Yankees were relying on their explosive offense to carry them with high scores. Now, they are on a five-game losing streak, having totaled a measly 12 runs over that span of time. To give you some perspective, against the Boston Red Sox last weekend, they totaled 31 total runs over four games.
The New York Yankees could be gaining back one star soon:
“I’m really encouraged,’’ Boone said prior to doubleheader loss on Wednesday.
DJ LeMahieu has been hitting off a high-velocity machine and could experience live at-bats over the weekend. He has been sidelined since August 15 with a sprained left thumb. His timetable to return was a minimum of two weeks, which would indicate this weekend as a potential return date.
That’s just about it for any semblance of positive news to extrapolate on.