The New York Yankees are in a tailspin. After leading the American League East since mid-April, the Yankees now find themselves in second place in the division behind the Toronto Blue Jays and tied with the Tampa Bay Rays. They lost their fifth game in a row Friday when they dropped a 6-5 decision at Citi Field to the cross town New York Mets.

The loss came hours after the Yankees were swept in a four-game series by the Blue Jays in Toronto. The Yankees battled hard against the Mets hours after the fourth defeat in that series north of the border and had a 5-4 lead over the Mets with two outs in the seventh inning. However, Mets second baseman Jeff McNeill launched a two-run home run off of reliever Luke Weaver that gave the Mets the lead. The Yankees were unable to mount a successful challenge in either the eighth or ninth inning.

Weaver has been hit hard in recent outings. Prior to giving up the decisive home run to McNeill, Weaver was victimized in two of the losses in Toronto. He pitched in Thursday’s loss to the Blue Jays and gave up two hits, two runs and one home run. Weaver also pitched in Tuesday’s loss to Toronto and gave up two hits, three runs and another home run. He has now given up home runs in his last three outings, and he has not pitched more than an inning in any of those games.

Pitching has struggled badly for Yankees

Weaver was clearly downcast after the game as a result of his recent struggles on the mound. “I said I’ve been feeling good, that just might be a lie now, I don’t know,” Weaver said. “It’s hard to make sense of what’s going on.

“At this time, I can do one of two things. I can sulk and feel bad for myself, or I can grind and find a way to be better for myself and my teammates.”

The Yankees have been able to put runs on the board, but their pitching staff has been struggling. The Yankees have given up 5 runs or more in seven consecutive games. They gave up double-digit runs in two of those losses in Toronto as both the starters and the bullpen have had issues keeping opposing teams in check.

Manager Aaron Boone has maintained confidence in his pitching staff through the majority of the season. Max Fried has been the team’s best starter with a 10-2 record and a 2.13 earned run average while striking out 106 batters in 114.0 innings. However, he was hit hard by the Blue Jays in his last outing, and so was No. 2 starter Carlos Rodon.

In addition, Clarke Schmidt left his last start with tightness in his right forearm and was placed on the 15-day injured list. He was only able to pitch 3 innings in his last outing.