The New York Yankees will be thrilled that this current three-game set against the Detroit Tigers is almost over, as the first two games have not even gone close to how they planned it. After Detroit shredded the New York bullpen in a 12-2 rout on Tuesday night, the Yankees’ relievers once against struggled to get outs on Wednesday in an 11-1 runaway.
As a result, Aaron Boone and company have been outscored 23-3 by a fellow American League playoff contender in two games at Yankee Stadium with just a few weeks to go until the playoffs get underway. Incredibly, only four of those 23 runs have been allowed by the Yankees’ starters, with the other 19 all coming against the bullpen.
The bullpen has been heavily scrutinized all season long in the Big Apple, and it will be under the microscope during the rest of the wild card race in September and into the postseason in October. After Wednesday night’s loss, Boone reiterated that he still has trust in that group to get the job done when it counts.
Aaron Boone was asked what gives him confidence that the Yankees’ bullpen can turn it around:
“Track record, stuff, who they are.” pic.twitter.com/78PHaNCLXs
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“Track record, stuff, who they are,” Boone said of why he still trusts the bullpen. “So, obviously we gotta get a couple of guys on track so we can create that depth that we can have down there.”
The Yankees’ bullpen will continue to get picked on by some of the more talented lineups in the American League unless something changes, and it could end up being the downfall for Boone and company if it doesn’t get fixed. After all, those are the teams that the Yankees are going to have to beat if they want to get back to the World Series and win it this time, but these last two games provide major reason for concern.
New York will take the field on Thursday night just looking to avoid the sweep. Cam Schlittler will get the ball to start, but all eyes will be on how the Yankees perform on the mound once the youngster’s night is over.
At the moment, New York sits three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East race with 17 games to go in the regular season. The men in pinstripes are still safe in the wild card discussion, with a four-game lead over the top chasers, the Texas Rangers.
