Yankees hit another low mark in shutout loss to Phillies

PHILADELPHIA — Jameson Taillon was talking about his one-third-of-an-inning outing Saturday, but he easily could have been evaluating the 2021 Yankees.

"It’s embarrassing. It’s humiliating," he said.

Not the kind of pithy phrase likely to show up on a motivational T-shirt, but it’s as good a summation as any of what has transpired lately.

A season that already had far more low points than high points found yet another low mark Sunday afternoon in a 7-0 loss to the Phillies in front of 38,512 at Citizens Bank Park.

After starting this three-city, eight-game trip with two victories over the Twins, a team that looks for the nearest corner in which to hide whenever the Yankees show up, Aaron Boone’s team has lost three straight to fall to 33-32. The Yankees have lost 13 of their last 18 games.

Next up is a trip to Buffalo to face the big-lumber-swinging Blue Jays for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night. (Toronto, by the way, hit eight home runs against the Red Sox on Sunday, giving the Jays 13 in the last two games.)

Boone, who typically exudes optimism even in the worst of circumstances, didn’t take that route Sunday, describing himself as "very concerned" with his club’s play.

"We’re going to find out what kind of character we’re made of," said Boone, whose team was outhit 12-4. "It gets no easier. We need to step it up, period."

Boone grew testy when asked if his team is "getting used" to losing.

"No," he said.

Why not?

"I know them too well," he said. "I don’t think there’s any getting used to freakin’ losing. Hell, no. Get the hell out of here with that."

That was the extent of the fire the Yankees showed Sunday.

Domingo German, who has pitched better than any other Yankees starter not named Gerrit Cole, was horrendous — he allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1⁄3 innings, sending his ERA from 3.12 to 3.88 — but the story again was at the plate.

Phillies righty Aaron Nola, who came in 4-4 with a 4.06 ERA in 13 starts, allowed three hits and a walk in 7 2⁄3 innings, striking out nine.

"I know we have a good team," said Gio Urshela, who went 0-for-4. "I know we can play a lot better."

Minutes into the game, the Yankees demonstrated their less-than-potent intentions with the bats.

DJ LeMahieu led off with a single but Gleyber Torres hit into a 6-4-3 double play, the Yankees’ MLB-leading 64th double-play grounder. Rougned Odor grounded back to Nola to end the eight-pitch inning.

The Yankees didn’t get another hit until LeMahieu’s two-out single in the sixth, and the game was out of hand by then.

German allowed a run in the bottom of the first on J.T. Realmuto’s infield single and gave up three more in the second on Odubel Herrera’s RBI double and Jean Segura’s two-run single, both coming with two outs.

Segura opened the fifth with a triple and Realmuto’s line-drive single made it 5-0. Bryce Harper singled and both runners moved up on Rhys Hoskins’ fly to center. Boone summoned Wandy Peralta to face Andrew McCutchen, who lined a drive into the leftfield corner for a two-run double and a 7-0 lead. At that point the Yankees were being outhit 11-1.

Odor led off the seventh with a double but, like Gary Sanchez and Clint Frazier earlier this season, inexplicably made an out on a ball hit in front of him to shortstop Ronald Torreyes. That marked the 31st out made on the basepaths this season by the Yankees, by far the most in the sport.

"I felt like everything was bad today," German said through his interpreter — speaking of his outing but, like Taillon the day before, offering a good description of his team.