The Yankees lost 9–4 to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, ending in a series defeat against one of the worst teams in baseball. The Yankees need to perform better, and it starts with their pitching. The starting rotation has been awful as of late, with Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes struggling considerably.
The Yankees Need Much More From Their Pitching
The Yankees gave up eight runs or more twice in the three-game set against Los Angeles, which certainly doesn’t represent playoff-caliber baseball. At the moment, the Yankees remain tied for first place in the American League East with the Baltimore Orioles despite doing their best to drop games.
Cortes lasted 4.2 innings against the Angels, giving up nine hits and six earned runs with just two strikeouts. Cortes’s ERA has ballooned to 4.42, and he now represents one of the team’s worst starters. Manager Aaron Boone believes there will be a turnaround in the near future, but he’s been regressing for weeks, and the Yankees have a few problems.
New bullpen arm Enyel De Los Santos allowed two runs over 1.1 innings, with Tim Hill allowing three hits and an earned run later in the game. As a whole, the pitching was inefficient and lacked consistency.
As for the offense, the Yankees tallied eight hits and four runs. The top four batters in the lineup combined for seven strikeouts, including three from Gleyber Torres in the leadoff spot. The bottom of the order was solid, contributing two homers, but the Bombers didn’t have anyone on base, which mitigated the impact.
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In addition, starting shortstop Anthony Volpe left the game early after he fouled a ball off his left foot. Fortunately, the X-rays came back clean, but Aaron Boone tried to talk down the severity. However, Volpe could miss Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers.