After eight innings of what seemed to be another formulaic loss, the Yankees somehow win a squeaker. Could it turn things around?

Last night, as the innings gathered like mourners at a funeral, Yank fans everywhere had to be thinking the same dismal thought:

Here we #@$%# go again.

The game offered all the earmarks of the Unfettered 2025 Yankee Disappointment Experience.

Early lead, followed by complete offensive shutdown. CHECK.

Bullpen collapse because a pitcher cannot throw strikes. CHECK.

Nobody capable of driving in runs. CHECK.

Yep. From our ICE checkpoints and YES communication links, we were tuned into the standard '25 Yankee meltdown: 

A three run lead into the seventh, where everything would surely go POOF. Inning after inning, the Death Barge put runners on base, then left them to rot. The Captain, all by himself, seemed to strand the entire cast of Glee. In his last AB, Aaron Judge just stood there, smiling like Vladimir Putin on the tarmac, killing another rally. And one of Cashman's prized Aug. 1 pick ups - Camilo Doval, the banished former Giants closer - nearly opened the zombie gates to Hell. How many times can Boone go to Luke Weaver, the Slender Man, in yet another  crisis, before the guy's arm falls off? 

What's amazing - and disturbing - is how, with one shake of the Magic 8-Ball, the Yankee lineup can go from formidable to fractured. It's the vast metaphysical  difference in RF between Aaron Judge (and/or Giancarlo Stanton) and Boone's newest toy, Joey Caballero, a banjo-hitting shortstop who is struggling to reach .230, and who looks terrified of his shadow in the outfield.   

I understand why the Yankees last night rested Stanton: The St. Louse OF is large enough for a zip code. With Giancarlo's statue in right, opposing singles could become doubles, or worse. But if the Yankees keep stranding runners, or failing to move them (see Grisham's frustrating bunt attempt), this season will not end well.

So, a squeaker win last night. Could it break the spell? We'll see. But vultures are still circling overhead. Boone needs a winning streak, and there has to be more than simply the last-available AL wild card berth. There has to be more.