Yankees' schedule will lighten up, and Aaron Boone is confident club will turn things around
Yankees manager Aaron Boone reacts after he was ejected from a game against the Houston Astros during the third inning at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If not now, when?
The Yankees have failed to get on any kind of significant roll for nearly two months now and entered Monday night 20-31 since June 13.
That stretch placed them 6 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East and just a half-game ahead of the Guardians, who made little attempt at the trade deadline to improve themselves, for the AL’s third and final wild-card spot.
The Yankees are coming off an ugly series loss to the Astros, who have spent the better part of the last decade tormenting the organization like no other. Before that, they went 1-5 on the road against the Marlins and Rangers.
But now the schedule presents an opportunity, starting with Monday night’s opponent: the Minnesota Twins.
The Yankees came into this season with a hard-to-fathom 123-44 record against the Twins since 2002. That number included a 16-2 mark in the six postseason series between the clubs during that span.
Following this three-game series against the Twins, the Yankees will hit the road to face the Cardinals, who are 60-59 but went through a July in which they went 8-16. They'll then travel to Steinbrenner Field to face the Rays, who coming into Monday were 57-62, including 10-24 since July 1.
Cue Yankees fans’ favorite go-to line over the years from manager Aaron Boone: it’s all right there in front of them.
“Obviously, we are feeling it. We know we have to be better,” Boone said after Sunday’s 7-1 loss to Houston. “We have a much higher standard for ourselves and expectations… at the same time, we are in control of this. I wholeheartedly believe that we are going to get rolling and turn this thing around. When it does, then you start to build that next layer of confidence where guys are feeding off each other.”
“We’re just not playing good baseball, that’s what it comes down to,” said Aaron Judge, who entered Monday in a 7-for-43 (.163) skid over his previous 13 games.
Speaking before Monday night’s game, Boone said no one is more aware of where the Yankees stand than he and his players.
“I know where we sit right now. I know that if we play the way we’re capable of playing, that’ll take care of itself,” Boone said of the road ahead. “I keep the picture small. Let’s go handle tonight. Let’s go be the best we can be tonight and start to play some consistent baseball.”
Though the schedule does, on the surface certainly, ease up a bit, nothing is assured. The Yankees haven’t played a prolonged stretch of consistent baseball since reaching their high-water mark for the season on June 12 when they were 42-25.
Since then, it’s been series after series of ups and downs — more of the latter than the former.
“I think you know it inherently,” Boone said Monday of a sense of “urgency” surrounding his team. “You feel it around this place all the time. It’s one thing I said to them and some of our coaches today too, I get that question all the time [about going] on a run…we’ve got to go play well tonight.
"My message is, keep it small. Keep it real simple: let’s go handle business tonight, let’s go win pitches, let’s go have good at-bats, let’s go take care of the ball. That’s where it starts. And then once that starts to happen, guys get settled in a little bit. That’s when a real run can happen, and I feel like we’re capable of that.”
Extra bases
Gerrit Cole, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on March 11, officially began his throwing program on Monday at the Stadium.
Gerrit Cole of the Yankees works out on the field before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
“Felt really good today. Had a good time,” Cole said after playing catch (20 throws) in the outfield. “It’s a big step. First day throwing. Had been building up to it for a few weeks so it was nice to get outside and get it accomplished and have it go well.”… Boone said that righthander Fernando Cruz, on the IL since June 30 with a left oblique strain, will start a rehab assignment on Thursday, with additional outings scheduled for Sunday and the following Tuesday. He could be activated after that. Lefthander Ryan Yarbrough, out since June 22 with a right oblique strain, will also start a rehab assignment on Thursday, with his number of rehab games to be determined depending on, Boone said, “how much we want to build him up."
With David Lennon
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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