The New York Yankees suffered yet another setback on Friday night, losing to the Milwaukee Brewers 8–2. This marks their second consecutive loss, dragging them back below the .500 mark for the season. Once hopeful for a postseason berth following a brief winning streak, the Yankees now find themselves with dwindling playoff prospects.
Luis Severino Exits Early: An Injury Clouds the Future
Adding salt to the wound, pitcher Luis Severino had to exit Friday’s game prematurely due to an injury. Severino managed 4.0 innings on the mound, allowing four hits and two earned runs while notching up five strikeouts.
Severino’s 2023 campaign has been far from stellar, as he currently sports a 6.65 ERA. Coming into the game, the 29-year-old’s stats weren’t any more reassuring—holding a 6.75 ERA and recording his lowest strikeouts-per-nine rate since 2016. Alarmingly, he’s also set personal records for the most walks and home runs per nine innings this season. This decline is particularly disappointing following what seemed like a promising bounce-back year in 2022.
Should Severino’s injury turn out to be serious, it’s conceivable that he may have thrown his final pitch in Yankee pinstripes.
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Yankees’ Offensive Struggles: A Night to Forget for the Bombers
The Yankees’ offense didn’t do much to help the cause either, tallying just three hits, two earned runs, and a whopping nine strikeouts. Jasson Dominguez was once again the standout, contributing two RBIs and raising his batting average to .296 with a .345 OBP. Aaron Judge and Oswald Peraza were the only other players to register hits. Worth noting, Peraza seems to be finding his groove lately, posting a .348 batting average and .348 OBP for the month of September.
Shaping the Future: Prospects Making a Statement
Amid the disappointments, the Yankees are taking this opportunity to evaluate their young talent. As of now, it’s pretty clear that Dominguez is stealing the spotlight, positioning himself as the obvious choice for starting centerfielder by 2024.
Up Next: Michael King Takes the Mound
The Yankees aim to turn their fortunes around as they square off against the Brewers once more on Saturday afternoon. Michael King, who is transitioning into a starting role, will be on the mound, hoping to offer the Yankees some much-needed stability.