The New York Yankees are facing a critical moment as they head into this weekend's Subway Series against the Mets at Citi Field. After a tough road trip that saw them lose three straight in Milwaukee and two of three in Baltimore, the Bombers are getting some unwelcome news about their lineup.
While the Yankees still lead the majors in home runs and top the American League in runs scored, a deeper look reveals some concerning trends. More than a quarter of the way through the season, four regulars are hitting below .203: Ryan McMahon, Austin Wells, Jazz Chisholm, and Trent Grisham. That's a lot of dead weight in a lineup that's supposed to be among baseball's most feared.
Wednesday's 7-0 loss at Oriole Park highlighted these struggles perfectly. With a chance to win the series, the Yankees managed just one hit—a fifth-inning double by Chisholm—against Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish, who entered the game with a 4.83 ERA. The Orioles, despite having the second-highest ERA in the American League, made New York's offense look completely lost.
"We've got to do a better job when we get pitches out over the heart of the plate, or we get some guys on base," said Aaron Judge after the game. "We've got to get some action going."
The numbers from the road trip paint an ugly picture: in their five losses, the Yankees scored a grand total of eight runs—none, three, three, two, and none. Their lone win came largely thanks to a single five-run inning.
"We didn't play our best," manager Aaron Boone admitted. "Outside of the big inning (Tuesday), we didn't quite mount enough offensively. We've got to get some guys going. We've got to get some guys on track."
What the Yankees desperately need right now is a healthy Giancarlo Stanton anchoring the middle of their order. Stanton started the season on fire, going 2-for-4 in each of the first five games. But things unraveled quickly: over his next 19 games, he hit just .186 with two home runs and 25 strikeouts in 76 plate appearances before landing on the injured list.
As the Yankees prepare for Friday's series opener against their crosstown rivals, they'll need more than just their stars to step up. They'll need their struggling regulars to find their swings—and they could really use some good news on Stanton's return. For now, the Bombers are hoping their pitching and a few hot bats can carry them through until the lineup gets back to full strength.