YANKEES NEED TO AVOID BEING A FIRST-HALF TEAM
The New York Yankees’ five-game losing streak brings back memories of the last three seasons, when they hit their “high water mark” mid-season, only to struggle as the All-Star Game approached.
In 2022, their blazing start drew comparisons to 1998, until they played under .500 over their final 78 games:
- 61-23 on 7-8-22 (38 games over .500)
- 73-48 on 8-20-22 (25 games over .500)
- 99-61 on 10-4-22 (38 games over .500)
- 99-63 FINAL (36 games over .500)
In 2023, the Yankees scuttled all season and missed the playoffs, though their record followed a similar, albeit mediocre, rhythm:
- 36-25 on 6-4-23 (11 games over .500)
- 60-65 on 8-22-23 (5 games under .500)
- 81-77 on 9-27-23 (4 games over .500)
- 82-80 FINAL (2 games over .500)
In 2024, the Juan Soto Yankees also got out of the gate fast, slowed down, and went 44-46 down the stretch before getting hot in the playoffs to make the World Series:
- 50-22 on 6-14-25 (28 games over .500)
- 60-45 on 7-26-25 (15 games over .500)
- 92-64 on 9-22-24 (28 games over .500)
- 94-68 FINAL (26 games over .500)
As for 2025, the Yankees rolled into Boston last weekend after a sweep of the Kansas City Royals:
- 42-25 on 6-12-25 (17 games over .500)
- 42-30 on 6-17-25 (12 games over .500)
Five-game losing streaks happen over the course of a 162-game MLB season. However, when you have the Yankees recent history, it raises a red flag.
The good news for the Yankees is they are playing teams with a combined 132-157 record over the next two weeks – two more against the Los Angeles Angels, three against the Baltimore Orioles, three against the Cincinnati Reds and then three against the nomad Athletics.
BOSTON “RED” SOX
Boston swept the Yankees wearing three different uniforms. On Friday they won 2-1 in 10 innings wearing their green “City Connect” jerseys celebrating the “Green Monster”. On Saturday they beat the Yankees 4-3 in their yellow and blue “Boston Strong” jerseys honoring the Boston Marathon.
Finally, on Sunday they shut out the Yankees 2-0 while wearing their traditional jerseys. Over the course of 10 days, the green, yellow, blue, red “Sox” beat the Yankees 5 out of 6 games.
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YANKEE CATCHERS
The Yankees have made a strong organizational commitment to acquiring and developing catching talent. The result on the major league level is the current trio of Austin Wells, JC Escarra and Ben Rice. Of course, there are also plenty of catchers with Yankees ties spread out around the league.
- Kyle Higashioka, Texas Rangers
- Carlos Narvaez, Boston Red Sox
- Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins
- Ben Rortvedt, Tampa Bay Rays
- Gary Sanchez, Baltimore Orioles
- Luis Torrens, New York Mets
- Jose Trevino, Cincinnati Reds
GETTING HEALTHY
The irony of this five-game losing streak, and being shut out in three straight, is that their lineup is as healthy as it has been all season. DJ LeMahieu missed the start of the season but returned on May 13th, Jazz Chisholm missed the month of May but returned June 3rd, and Giancarlo Stanton made his season debut on June 16th – and has gone 4 for 8 in his first two games.
Meanwhile, there’s more good news on the pitching front as Luke Weaver tossed a simulated game earlier today and could return as early as Thursday. Marcus Stroman recovered well from his first rehab start for Double-A Somerset. Plus, last year’s rookie-of-the-year Luis Gil should be throwing to live batters in 7-10 days.
The reinforcements provide hope, but the five-game losing streak, and the memory of 2022-24, are sure to provide plenty of angst to Yankee fans.
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