The new york yankees let another game slip away on Sunday as they lost to the Texas Rangers, 7-6. Before the fourth inning was over the Yankees were down 7-0 as Michael Pineda looked as if he was pitching batting practice to the Rangers hitters. The offense was able to come back with six runs, but let a golden opportunity slip away in the eighth inning. Chase Headley started off the inning with a double but Tyler Austin, Mason Williams, and Ronald Torreyes were unable to advance him and he stayed anchored on second base. The loss was the Yankees tenth defeat in their last dozen ballgames.
Adding injury to insult
In Sunday's loss Yankees center fielder, Aaron Hicks left the game with an oblique injury. It was revealed after the game that Hicks will be placed on the disabled list and will likely miss about a month of playing time. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury might be ready to come off the disabled list and take over in the center. Ellsbury has missed a month with a concussion and has been on a minor league rehab assignment the last couple of days.
A big hole at first base
All season long the Yankees have been searching for some kind of offense from their first basemen, with no luck in finding an answer. The team called up Austin on Saturday and, even though he has played just two games, he looks like a kid that will swing at anything, Lack of plate discipline is the same reason Chris Carter, the team's former power-hitting first baseman, was designated for assignment.
Pitching woes
The starting rotation was dealt a blow when veteran C.C. Sabathia went down earlier this month and it could leave the Yankees vulnerable. One bit of good news was the performance of Masahiro Tanaka on Friday as he tossed eight scoreless innings. Tanaka has been nothing short of terrible all year long and if he steps it up he could go a long way in making up for Sabathia's absence.
Then there's the case of Tyler Clippard in the bullpen. Clippard has been battered around his last three appearances, allowing nine runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work. It is baffling trying to figure out exactly what has gone wrong with Clippard, a guy who had an impressive 1.64 earned run average coming into the month. Hitting the road might be a good thing for him as he won't have to hear the jeers from the fans if he continues to struggle.
A few bright spots
It is not all doom and gloom for the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Judge is still raking, as he has all year long. Gary Sanchez has seen his bat heat up since returning from the disabled list. The team is still in first place in the division, tied with the Boston Red Sox. And lastly, they now get to face the worst team in the A.L., the Chicago White Sox for four games.
If the Yankees can finish the month with a flourish, maybe the recent bad stretch will be seen as just a bump in the road in a resurgent season in the Bronx.
