The Yankees suffered a disappointing 5–0 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday evening, which came at an unfortunate time as the Baltimore Orioles pulled off a 5–3 win against the Boston Red Sox. This defeat has narrowed the Yankees’ lead in the American League East to a slim 0.5 games, down from a 1.5-game cushion just the day before.
Seth Lugo Shuts Down Yankees’ Offense
New York’s offense couldn’t find any rhythm against Royals starter Seth Lugo, who was dominant throughout the game. Lugo pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out 10 batters. He threw 105 pitches, 77 for strikes, and lowered his ERA to 2.94 on the season. The Royals’ bullpen also played a key role, striking out four Yankees over the final two innings to complete the shutout.
Offensively, the Yankees were limited to just three hits, with Gleyber Torres picking up two of them. After Torres singled to lead off the game in the first inning, the Yankees failed to generate any meaningful production for the rest of the night.
Judge and Soto’s Slumps Hurting Yankees
The Yankees’ offensive woes have been exacerbated by the recent struggles of their star sluggers, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Over the last 15 days, Judge has hit just .191/.333/.255, far below his season-long averages. Though he remains a frontrunner in the MVP race, his chances of breaking his own home run record of 62 have all but vanished. Still, that shouldn’t diminish the incredible season he’s had.
Meanwhile, Juan Soto has also struggled, hitting .229/.351/.354 over the same span. His drop in production is further complicating the Yankees’ efforts to generate consistent offense down the stretch.
Pitching Inconsistencies Continue
On the pitching side, starter Marcus Stroman lasted 5.1 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs while striking out four. Stroman has posted a 4.07 ERA this season, but his inconsistency has been a concern for the Yankees. There’s a strong likelihood that Stroman won’t be part of the playoff rotation due to his volatility.
The bullpen didn’t fare much better, as relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Mayza each surrendered an earned run to close out the game.
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Yankees Need a Strong Finish Before Playoffs
With the playoffs looming, the Yankees will need their offense to find its stride, especially when facing elite pitching. Seth Lugo’s dominant performance on Tuesday showed that the Yankees need to be more resilient when going up against quality arms.
The Yankees will look to bounce back on Wednesday night with Luis Gil taking the mound against Kansas City’s Cole Ragans, who enters the game with an impressive 3.33 ERA over 167.1 innings this season.