Red Sox Standings Watch: Heading into All-Star break in first place
By Sean Penney
Falling
New York Yankees
The Yankees enter the break having lost seven of their last ten games. They can feel fortunate that Boston’s own stumbles last week prevented them from running away with the division, although it has allowed the Rays to gain ground.
New York has scored the second most runs in the league this season, yet it’s been a different story this month. The Yankees have scored 32 runs over their last eight games, putting them next to last in the league in July.
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We certainly can’t blame Aaron Judge for these offensive woes. He’s having an otherworldly rookie season and July has been no exception. His .357 batting average is the highest it has been in any month this season and he owns a 1.183 OPS this month. The problem has been his teammates aren’t getting on base in front of him. Judge has three homers this month but only four RBI.
Fellow rookie outfielder Clint Frazier is the only other Yankee with a batting average above .233 this month. The 22-year old has three homers, two triples and a double over his last seven games.
The Yankees have seven hitters with double-digit at-bats this month who are hitting below the Mendoza Line in July with an OPS of .531 or lower. Judge might still be in contention to win a Triple Crown, but he can’t keep the Yankees offense afloat by himself.
The pitching hasn’t been much better, with a 5.91 ERA that ranks 13th in the league this month. C.C. Sabathia couldn’t make it out of the third inning of his last start. Michael Pineda barely made it through three innings, coughing up five earned runs in the process.
The rotation’s struggles have put a heavy burden on a bullpen that is cracking under pressure. Dellin Betances was torched for five earned runs over his last four appearances and was tagged with a pair of losses.
The All-Star break couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the Yankees. Few expected their young players to carry the team to their current record, leaving us to question if this is merely a blip on the radar or if they are regressing back toward initial projections.