It was only a matter of time before the New York Yankees’ starting pitching faced some challenges, as Corey Kluber is out for a minimum of four weeks after suffering a shoulder injury. With the starting rotation being disrupted, they have had their fair share of struggles, as the Yankees try to supplement their deficiencies.
Unfortunately, the Yankees’ usual saving grace would be their offense, which has set records in recent years in some categories. However, this year has been an entirely different story, as the offensive powerhouse team has grappled to get back on track. Having lost four of their last five games, the Yankees have only scored 11 runs in that time frame.
Manager Aaron Boone can only do so much, and while some of his decisions in the relief category and lineup have been coined as poor, he has tried a variety of different combinations to spark things. The reality is, he can’t see into the future but rather put his best foot forward and try different players in different situations to provide a catalyst.
Boone called out the offense for their lack of production lately, and while he does know they are capable of providing sufficient support for the pitchers, they have essentially been a non-factor this season despite the Yankees being six games above .500 and sitting 3.5 games in the American League East.
“Bottom line is we’ve gotta be better. We’ve got to get better if we’re going to be the team we expect to be,†Boone said after the 6-1 loss to Detroit. “A lot of that is built around what we expect to be offensively, and there’s no question that that has to improve. I believe it will improve, but we’ve got to continue to work and make sure we’re making the necessary adjustments every day to get to that point.â€
There will come a time where the Yankees face a turning point in their season, and it can go one of two ways. Either they struggle and fall apart at the seams, or they pick themselves up, and the offense performs adequately. They are still in the mix in the AL East, so they have plenty of time to work their way out of this current funk.
Presently, some of those star players of struggle to get going, including DJ LeMahieu, who’s hitting .263 with a .344 slugging percentage. If their star players don’t begin to produce offensively, this could be a long season for Yankee fans despite general manager Brian Cashman doing everything in his power to help bolster the pitching rotation.