On a day of multiple bad omens, Yank fans wonder: Is this the wall we so feared?

 

So, here we go. ..

Boston.

The Beans. The Frat Boys. The Idiots. The Bosox. The Olde Towners. The Hub. The Sawx. The Crimson Hose. 

The S.O.B.s. 

Nearly three months in, it's our first first weekend at Fenway. It's the homecoming for Verdugo. A night of fires, looting and street violence (if/when the Celtics win.)  The night after a crushing walk-off loss. The night after Aaron Judge's first full-scale meltdown in nine weeks.

Be afraid. Be very afraid... 

1. Let's start with Judge. Last time he went 0-for-4 with four Ks was April 20, against hateful Tampa. We lost that game 2-0, in ten. (Ironically, Nestor Cortes also pitched it.) At the time, Judge was hitting a meager .179, and the Chicken Littles openly opined that he was secretly injured. 

As we all know, he went on a tear, beginning May 4. It hadn't ended until, gulp, maybe yesterday?  

But but BUT... no panicking here. Yesterday, the sun was so brutal that, early in the game, Suzyn Waldman grumbled that is was hard to see the field. She lamented the glare off the grass and the oppressive heat - 90 degrees on the field - that roiled through the press box. After all, this is Kansas City, heat domes and tornados. But a hellish day for baseball, and the Yankees nearly were no-hit by a middling fifth starter.  

2. Unfortunately, that didn't help Clay Holmes. The Royals saw him just fine. Holmes became the first MLB closer to blow his fourth save. (He is 19-for-23 in save opportunities, and batters are hitting .263 against him, the highest BA against closers, with the exception of KC's James McArthur, whose ERA is over 5.00.)  The worst part of this? Holmes was done in by a nubber, a virginal bouncer between the mound and first base. Neither he nor Anthony Rizzo could figure it out. Shit happens, I guess. Two minutes later, the walk-off double. 

For now, here's the big takeaway: A one-run lead is not enough. Holmes dominated in April. Now, his every appearance is a Chapmanesque misadventure, sort of like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, where you wonder how Larry's going to get himself into trouble. But it's not just Holmes who is cracking. The entire bullpen is faltering. Wednesday night, with an 11-1 lead, Boone had to call in Luke Weaver, who is also showing distress signs, to staunch the bleeding. Tonight, if we're lucky enough to have a lead, somebody's gotta pitch the ninth. I have no idea who that person will be. 

3. But look... If they said we'd win three out of four in KC, who wouldn't have signed up? Next is Boston, who clobbered the Phillies last night. They're a bunch of slobs wrapped around Rafael Devers, who could beat us single-handedly. 

They've moved the game up a half-hour, so Boston fans can watch the Celtics. The Yankees have better make short work of Boston, or they'll be stuck in the victory riots, while driving to the hotel. During such happy events, while they're breaking windows and shooting each other, Boston fans used to spontaneously chant "YANKEES SUCK!" Now, I'm not so sure they care. Right now, they're a game above .500. We better not let them get up off the mat.