Embarrassed and undressed on national TV, the Yankees prepare for Baltimore - and maybe second place in the AL East

 Well, that was fun, while it lasted.

First place. Best record in baseball. 

The Promised Land, that is. 

The feeling that this was it, that something important was happening in the Bronx, ending the malaise. We'd win the series at Fenway, knock Boston below .500, and then welcome Baltimore with the pitchforks and torches they deserve. 

It looked hopeful, yesterday... a million years ago.

Instead, the Yankees today look battered and beaten in every aspect of play. Last night, to a national audience, they played their worst game of 2024, crapping the bed in newly creative manners, a month of mediocrity crammed into nine innings... and, perhaps, a bellwether of what's to come. 

How did we lose? My god. Let me count the ways.

1. The bullpen is shot. What was recently being hailed as baseball's best reliever corps now looks like a bunch of scrapheap redemption projects facing their market corrections. Ian Hamilton and Luke Weaver had been two YES fairy tales of hope. Now, Hamilton's ERA sits at 4.45, and Weaver last night was pasted an ERA is 2.74 and climbing. Clay Holmes has blown four saves, most among MLB closers, and  Tommy Kahnle (ERA 4.50) is starting to look like a dud. The only good news from last night: We didn't have to watch Holmes blow a save. (We saved that for the Baltimore series, eh?) 

2. The starters are wilting. Friday night, you could feel the air leaking from Luis Gil, and he shuffled from one jam to another. He's had a great half season, but he's not Cy Young. We can celebrate the impending return of Gerrit Cole, but he must throw several pain free outings before we can count on anything. And this weekend, the comebacks of Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman were placed on hold. Both were outpitched by no-names. Sad. 

3. Jose Trevino's defense has collapsed. He has the slowest throw to second base in the majors, according to ESPN, and the Redsocks just floated that news on a Goodyear blimp. It was humiliating last night, watching them run on every first pitch, without abandon, and easily beating his throws (that is, if he bothered to make them.) The message to MLB: Run, run, run on Trevino. Considering that Austin Wells is supposed to be an offensive catcher, this is Defcon Four. We have an open hole in the raft. 

Meanwhile, as Boston ran around the bases, the Yankees countered with Giancarlo Stanton, the Trotter, who can barely reach first on a drive to the outfield wall. Last night, it was hard to remind yourself that the Yankees were the team in first, and Boston was straddling .500.  

4. Everywhere, our defense looked sloppy. A catchable fly dropped in front of  the languid Alex Verdugo and the listless Aaron Judge, leading to a big inning. DJ LeMahieu, playing first after Anthony Rizzo went out with an injury, looked slow on a line drive into right - one of those plays that he used to make. Everywhere, the Yankees played slovenly. The crowd got it right: "Yankees suck." They did. 

5. I cannot overlook Gleyber Torres' impressive strikeout with the bases loaded in the 7th, before the game rocketed out of reach. Ahead 3-0 in the  count, he took two pitches right down the middle for strikes (which, I suppose, was okay; I mean, they weren't going to give him the green light, eh?) then swung at a ridiculous pitch in the dirt. He greased the wheels for a bases loaded, no outs, zero. The Yankees didn't score, and all hope flew out the window.  

Until last night, I believed Torres could save his season and - perhaps - his Yankee career. Now, he's looking like a Josh Donaldson. He's not getting any better. 

6. Along with losing Rizzo, who had shown slight hopeful signs lately, the Yankees lost Jasson Dominguez last night in Scranton. An oblique injury. Not only could he miss several weeks, but there's another thing here... the injuries that seem to keep happening with this kid. Is he another walking bag of tweaks, too muscular for his own good? Obviously, the jury is out on that question, but this is really bad news, as the Yankees get ready for their own inevitable wave of troubled gonads. 

7. A dreadful night and weekend, leading into Baltimore's arrival Tuesday. By this time next week, the Yankees could be in second place in the AL East, proudly leading the AL in their new, 2024 wild card quest! Something to look forward to, eh?