'We're Close': Yankees Staying Positive Despite Another Ugly Loss

NEW YORK — Before the Red Sox erupted for a four-run eighth inning, cruising to another victory at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, the Yankees were one strike away from getting out of the jam. 

Boston's Kiké Hernández found himself in a 2-2 count when Chad Green left a fastball at the top of the zone. Hernández didn't miss it, driving Rafael Devers home from first with a ringing double into the left-field corner. 

Two more two-out hits later, including a mammoth two-run blast from Bobby Dalbec, and the game was out of reach for New York.

"It's just missed opportunities," Green said after the loss. "We're one pitch away, we're one at-bat away, one big hit away and that's just baseball sometimes. Throughout the season, you're going to go through times like that."

That's been the consensus for much of this season thus far. On paper, New York has the team to be successful. They've got the players to win ballgames, but simply haven't been able to perform to their potential, or sustain consistent success, throughout the first third of the year. 

After all, Saturday's loss—the ninth in the Yankees' last 12 games—pushed New York into fourth place in the division and only three games above .500. If the season ended after that loss, the Yankees wouldn't just miss the postseason, they'd be three spots back of a chance to earn a Wild Card berth. 

Take what's transpired this year for Saturday's starter Jameson Taillon. The right-hander has struggled at times, but allowed just three earned runs or fewer in each of his seven starts at Yankee Stadium. 

The Yankees have only won three of those seven games.

Taillon explained after the game that once again, he thought he pitched better than the numbers say on his line. He was also one pitch away from getting out of a sticky situation. With one out in the sixth, Taillon missed on a full-count offering, giving up a two-run single to Devers to tie the game at two runs apiece. 

With the way the Yankees' offense has been performing lately, even a quality start sometimes isn't enough to keep this team in striking distance.

"I feel like we're close," Taillon said Saturday. "I know people have been saying that kind of the whole time. But I'm in there. I see the work that guys are putting in. I see the conversations going on. There's a lot of care, a lot of passion, guys are working to get through it."

That optimistic outlook hasn't wavered from manager Aaron Boone either. Asked after another debilitating loss if he's worried about a snowball effect, losing the clubhouse during this frustrating stretch, the skipper found a way to be positive about the situation.

"I know the guys in that room and we believe we're too good, know that we're obviously going through a tough stretch, know that this is part of it," Boone said. "We're taking our lumps right now, we got a opportunity to turn it around and at least salvage a series tomorrow."

The question is, how much longer can the Yankees count on turning things around? This week, Aaron Judge called the American League East the toughest division in all of baseball. Entering play on Sunday, they are 14-20 against divisional foes this season. 

Sure, there's over 100 games remaining in this marathon campaign, but at a certain point, changes need to be made if this team isn't taking advantage of opportunities.  

"We understand that over the course of a long season, adversity is coming for us," Boone said. "We've had our share in these first 60 or so games where we've had a couple of stretches where we've really taken it on the chin. If we're going to be the club we expect to be, we've got to rally from that. And the only way we know how to do it in there is to come to work tomorrow, get ready for our opponent, and hopefully go start playing playing our best baseball."

After a series finale against Boston on Sunday night, the Yankees will hit the road, taking on the Twins, Phillies and Blue Jays on an eight-game trip. No team can win every game, but for a club that's 0-17 when opponents score more than five runs—and 19-2 when the Bombers score five-plus runs—it's clear where the Yankees need to improve. 

"If you're going to be a team that you expect to be, you're going to have to fight your way through some tough times," Boone said. "And that's what I expect us to do."

MORE:

• Chris Gittens Earns Big-League Opportunity As Yankees Look For 'Spark'
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• Yankees' Corey Kluber Takes First Big Step in Road to Recovery

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