NEW YORK — The Yankees had the bases loaded within the first inning on Sunday, and that sound they heard was the knocking of alternative, a drumbeat that they need to capitalize upon to flee a slide that has spanned greater than a calendar month. These possibilities produced nothing, as Gleyber Torres flied out and Alex Verdugo lined out, leaving three males on.
So it went for a lot of the afternoon, prompting supervisor Aaron Boone to lament: “We’ve simply obtained to get one to fall. We’ve obtained to stay one within the hole in these conditions.” As an alternative, the bats produced little except for Aaron Decide’s Main League-leading thirty fifth homer, because the Yankees fell to the Rays, 6-4, at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees have misplaced 20 of their previous 29 video games, together with two of the primary three popping out of an All-Star break which that they had hoped would function a psychological and bodily reset.
“You’ll be able to’t chase outcomes on this recreation; it’s going to kill you,” Decide mentioned. “It is a recreation of failure, however it’s actually a recreation of alternatives. You’ve obtained a possibility each time you come up there to do one thing particular. It’s nearly staying centered on the method.”
One other three males have been left on within the second inning, when Juan Soto bounced a 3-0 pitch right into a double play, serving to Shane Baz navigate 3 1/3 shaky innings with out allowing a run regardless of 5 walks.
“We’re sort of getting examined proper now,” Verdugo mentioned. “It’s been just a little little bit of a battle, however that’s what this recreation is. It’s ups and downs. Everyone knows it’s exhausting.”
As he has been tasked to take action many instances this season (and in previous ones), Decide tried to hold the load. Going through Jason Adam within the seventh inning, Decide unloaded for a three-run homer, a Statcast-projected 444-foot blast that carried into the left-field seats.
The blast highlighted a day that included a single and a stroll for the captain, after Decide had been held to 9 hits in 41 at-bats (.220) over his earlier 12 video games, together with two homers.
Decide’s 35 homers are 5 forward of the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (30) amongst all large leaguers. The Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson (28) is second within the American League. Decide additionally paces the Majors in RBIs (89), amongst a number of different classes.
“This offense was unbelievable for that first 60, 70 video games. It’s exhausting to be unbelievable for 162,” mentioned right-hander Marcus Stroman. “[With Soto and Judge,] I feel we’re shedding sight of how unbelievable these two guys have been. They’ll’t do every thing each single time. We will’t put all of the stress on them.”
Decide made positive to savor his trot across the bases. The Yanks seen when Randy Arozarena took his time after a fourth-inning homer off Stroman, they usually seemed to be irked when Jose Siri did the identical following a seventh-inning blast off Jake Cousins. Decide’s 31-second trot across the bases was his second-longest this season, behind solely a June 8 house run when it was unclear at first whether or not the ball had gone over the fence.
However tempers have been quick by that time, leaving gamers scanning for launch valves. Within the sixth inning, Verdugo was rung up on a referred to as third strike by house plate umpire Edwin Jimenez, approaching a Colin Poche pitch that Verdugo believed to be low.
Verdugo had dropped his bat and was on his strategy to first base when he heard Boone howling from the dugout, prompting Jimenez to say: “It’s a strike.”
That at-bat would end in Boone’s fifth ejection of the season, coming between innings because the supervisor continued chirping at Jimenez. The deal with Verdugo has intensified lately; since June 14, when he ripped three hits in a win at Boston, Verdugo has batted .150 (9-for-60) whereas steadily grounding out to the suitable facet of the infield.
“After I go [opposite field], that’s the most effective model of myself,” Verdugo mentioned. “That’s once I’m letting the ball journey. That’s once I’m staying by the ball. At first, it was extra of getting pull-happy. I began moving into dangerous habits the place my entrance shoulder has been flying out. My hips have been flying towards the first-base facet. We’re not making an attempt to hit floor balls.”
José Caballero’s ninth-inning homer off Luke Weaver supplied the Rays with an insurance coverage run, which got here in useful when Soto doubled house a run, the final gasp earlier than a outcome that has proved all too acquainted of late.
That has prompted Decide and others to surprise: If it was unsustainable to maintain their mid-June tempo, after they have been the Majors’ first group to 50 victories, what must occur to generate one other sizzling streak?
“We’ve obtained work to do,” Decide mentioned. “You’ll be able to’t sit right here and really feel sorry for ourselves. No person else is feeling sorry for us. You’ve simply obtained to maintain exhibiting up the subsequent day, hold making an attempt to enhance, make modifications and make changes.
“If what you’re doing isn’t working, you’ve obtained to attempt one thing new. Plenty of guys on this room, they’re making an attempt new stuff, making an attempt to determine issues out. That’s all you possibly can ask for. The outcomes are going to return.”
