Summer doesn’t start until June 20, but the New York Yankees are already stuck in the dog days of summer.
The bad vibes from getting swept by the Boston Red Sox have carried over into their home series against the Los Angeles Angels. Following their 4-0 loss on Tuesday, the Yankees have been shut out in three consecutive games.
Going 29 consecutive innings without a run is bad enough, but the offensive rut extends beyond this three-game stretch. The Yankees have scored only five runs in their last six games, and the last time that happened was 1968.
What makes New York’s scoring drought even more concerning is the strikeouts that have piled up during the slump.
The Yankees have been shut out three times in a row before, but this marks the first time in franchise history they’ve done so while striking out at least 10 times in each game.
At the heart of the strikeout problem is Aaron Judge. While the two-time American League MVP is having possibly his best season yet, he’s struggled mightily over the last few games.
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Judge has been punched out 12 times during New York’s five-game losing streak. Yankees fans even started to boo Judge during Tuesday’s loss, but that seems a little harsh given how amazing he’s been up to this point.
The Yankees’ slump is even more befuddling when you consider how good their offense was before this stretch.
New York is top five this season in the following categories: runs, home runs, runs batted in (RBI), on-base percentage (OBP), slugging percentage (SLG), and on-base plus slugging (OPS).
While teams tend to hit a lull at some point during the 162-game schedule, going from one of the best offenses in baseball to a team incapable of scoring is a shocking turn of events.
The last team to get shut out in three consecutive games and then go on to win the World Series was the Philadelphia Athletics way back in 1913, so history suggests this three-game stretch in the middle of June might be more than just a blip on the radar.
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