The New York Yankees offense continued to disappoint Wednesday, losing in extra innings to the New York Mets 4-3 to split the Subway Series.
The Yankees went just 1-for-15 with RISP in the game, yet it went to extra innings due to a few mental lapses from the Mets. It felt as though the Mets were trying to lose this game.
Instead, the Yankees turned in yet another stinker on offense and refuse to back up the pitching, a department that has been tops in baseball and purely dominant this season.
When Aaron Judge went down with a toe injury, the offense was expected to take a step back. However, the Yankees have been turning in very troubling offensive numbers in Judge’s absence.
The Yankees are one of the worst offenses in baseball without Aaron Judge
Overall this season, the Yankees are tied for the sixth-worst batting average in MLB at .232. The Kansas City Royals have a higher team batting average of .233.
Since June 5 (the day after the Dodgers series), they are 3-5 averaging just 3.38 runs per game and hitting a disastrous .202 clip as a team, which is the worst in MLB over that span.
Along with not getting base hits, they are not reaching base really at all. Since June 5, the Yankees have just a 6% walk rate, with their 17 total free passes being the second lowest in baseball in that span. Their OBP on the season has plummeted to .300, the third-worst mark in MLB.
What makes this treacherous slump even more disappointing is the fact that the guys that were expected to help carry the offense in Judge’s absence have done the opposite. Since June 5, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Donaldson, Gleyber Torres, and DJ LeMahieu have combined to hit a ghastly .127 (15-for-118 as a group), with an average OBP of just .236.
The at-bats the entire Yankees team has put up over the past few games have looked shotty and uncompetitive. A team will not win many games consistently putting up bad plate appearances.
Shockingly, the Yankees are still nine games above .500 and have a +43 run differential. However, consistently turning in these dreadful offensive performances will really hurt the Yankees’ chances of winning the AL East division or securing a high seed for the postseason.
The Yankees will get a much-needed boost to their lineup for their upcoming series with the Boston Red Sox, as outfielder Harrison Bader is expected to be activated off the IL in time for Friday’s game. The Yankees must piece things together offensively if they wish to win that series and more before Aaron Judge returns.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @DylanBacker_