About Last Night: The Yankees Fell to the Red Sox 3-0

About Last Night: The Yankees Fell to the Red Sox 3-0

By Tim Kabel

July 8, 2024

***

The Yankees will begin playing a new theme song before every game.

Ho Hum, Ho Hum.

It’s off to lose we go.

The Yankees one game-winning streak was snapped last night as they lost yet another series. They managed to stifle the enthusiasm that was created by their 14-4 victory on Saturday in one evening.

Ho Hum, Ho Hum.

It’s off to lose we go.

Quick Stats – 

·       The Yankees are 6-16 in their last 22 games. One step forward, two steps back does not get you very far.

·       The Yankees had the best record in baseball a few weeks ago. Now, they are 3 games behind the Orioles and are in second place. Don't look now, but the Red Sox are only 4.5 games behind the Yankees.

·       The Yankees have been shut out six times this season.

·       The Yankees are 2-4 against the Red Sox this season. They play each other seven more times. By the time they play in September, the Red Sox could be ahead of the Yankees in the standings.

·       The Yankees have a six-game road trip against the Rays and the Orioles before the All-Star break. I don't feel very optimistic about it.

·       The Yankees have not won a series since they played the Royals in mid-June.

·       DJ LeMahieu had two hits on Saturday and one hit last night. After those two scorching days, he's batting .194. The bright side is that he's signed for two more years after this one.

·      On July 7, 1936, Joe DiMaggio became the first rookie to appear in an All-Star game.

The Big Story –

The Yankees are consistently inconsistent. They built up a big lead at the beginning of the season, which they are now slowly but surely frittering away. This season is eerily reminiscent of 2022 but if it follows this pattern, it will be even worse.  Aaron Boone had no answers in 2022 and he has even fewer answers now. Many people say the Yankees can turn things around. That is true. It could happen. However, based on what they did in 2022 and last year, it is also quite possible that they will sink in the standings and not even make the playoffs. If this team did make the playoffs, do you have any confidence they could beat any other team?

Player of the Game – 

Luis Gil rebounded to pitch a very good game. The only problem is that everyone in the stadium or watching at home thought he was done after six innings. Everyone that is, except Aaron Boone, who left him in too long, allowing Rafael Devers to hit a home run.

Notable Performance –

Oswaldo Cabrera was the only batter to reach base twice, with a hit and a walk. Hey, when your team was shut out and only managed four hits, that is a notable performance.

Better to Forget – 

The offense was anemic, and Luke Weaver and Michael Tonkin were ineffective in relief.

My Take –  

This season does not have to be a repeat of 2022. It looks like it might be but, it does not have to be. In order for the team to turn things around, the Yankees need to make changes.

Ben Rice will not hit three home runs every game. However, he has a good swing. He seemingly works hard and appears to know what he is doing. Other than an occasional day off, he should play first base every day for the rest of the year. We all know that when Anthony Rizzo comes back, Aaron Boone will turn the keys of first base back to him. That should not happen. There is no reason for it to happen. But, if Boone is in charge, it will happen.

I know DJ LeMahieu had a couple of hits in the past two days, but he is finished. He is no longer someone who could win a batting title.  In fact, he is no longer an effective Major League hitter. He is also not a defensive replacement. He is not someone you would use as a pinch hitter, although Boone has done that. He needs to go as well. If Jon Berti is healthy soon, he could play third base along with Oswaldo Cabrera.

Gleyber Torres is having an awful season, despite a few good games recently. He will definitely not be back with the Yankees next year. They should trade him for whatever they can get before the trade deadline. Caleb Durbin, who seemed primed to make the Majors this year, has been on the IL since the end of May. Perhaps, the Yankees could bring up Jorbit Vivas, as he has been hot lately.

It would be a mistake to rely on Giancarlo Stanton to provide an offensive spark when he returns from the IL. Historically, it takes him a long time to get rolling after he has been injured. He was having a very good year but as always, he suffered an injury. I know he has been doing some running drills, but it would not be realistic to expect him back before the end of the month, at the earliest. And then, what will he provide to the team?

There was some speculation that the Yankees might acquire Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. from the Blue Jays. However, that has been tempered by the arrival and relative success of Ben Rice. I don't think that having Rice on the team should prevent the Yankees from acquiring Guerrero. Guerrero has indicated that he would be willing to play third base again. I'm not sure how capable he would be but, it's worth a shot. If he can't do it, he and Rice could rotate between DH and first base, with both of them in the lineup every day. Guerrero is only 25 years old and is a tremendous hitter. He would solve a lot of problems in the middle of that lineup. Berti, Vivas, Rice, and Guerrero would be a lot better than LeMahieu, Torres, Rizzo, and Stanton at this point.

Scott Effross, JT Brubaker, and Clarke Schmidt could all be available to strengthen the bullpen very soon. Jack Neely, who was recently promoted to AAA, could be ready to pitch in the Majors right now. The Yankees could also swing a trade for at least one bullpen arm. With Gerrit Cole back, the starting rotation appears to be relatively solid. Certainly, if there was a pitcher available, that would be wonderful but, the team has other more significant needs.

The biggest issue is the manager. The Yankees could make the moves I have described above but, if the manager is unwilling to play the new personnel over veterans with whom he is familiar, things won't change. In addition, as we have discussed ad infinitum, Boone is not a very good manager. He always seems to make the wrong move. Whatever move he makes turns out to be the wrong one. For example, everyone thought he was going to take Luis Gil out after six innings last night. He didn't. Rafael Devers promptly hit a home run. The Yankees didn't score any runs anyway but, it was still a bad move. 

This team is starting to collapse, and Boone has presided over one collapse after another. It is time to make a change. In addition, the players do not seem to be consistently playing hard for Boone. They need a new voice in the dugout. If the Yankees make a few trades, get some players back from the IL, and also change the manager, they could do what the Phillies did a couple of years ago and turn their season around.

Next Up – 

Tuesday, the Yankees will open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:50 PM at Tropicana Field. Carlos Rodon, (9-5, 4.42 ERA) will face Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot, (4-4 4.40 ERA). Pepiot? Didn't Steve McQueen play him in a movie once?