About Yesterday Afternoon: Oh, That Sinking Feeling.

About Yesterday Afternoon: Oh, That Sinking Feeling.  Tampa Bay 5- NY 4

By Tim Kabel

April 13, 2026

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The Yankees went 7-1 in their first 8 games. Since then, they have gone 1-6 and have lost their last 5 games in a row. They lost a series to the lowly A's and were just swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series for the first time since 2021. The Rays moved above .500 for the first time this season and are 8-7, the same record as the Yankees. It is hard not to think that these are two teams going in opposite directions. I know some of you are enraged by that statement because it is so early but what encouraging signs have you seen from the Yankees lately?

Cam Schlittler was not sharp, allowing a career-high tying seven hits over five innings. He walked his first batter of the season yesterday. However, it was hardly as if Schlittler was bombed. He struck out eight over five innings and conceivably, could have pitched deeper in the game, after throwing 85 pitches. Regardless, Schlittler was not the reason the Yankees lost the game. Ryan Yarbrough and Brent Headrick each gave up a run, which didn't help matters but again, we cannot blame the loss on them. It seems, at least for the time being, that we cannot expect the Yankees to score more than a handful of runs in any given game.

I want you to think very carefully about what you are about to read. Ryan McMahon went 1-4 yesterday and increased his batting average to .114. He has four hits for the season. He is 4-34. Slim Whitman and Boxcar Willie each had more hits than Ryan McMahon. Yet yesterday must be considered a strong offensive showing for McMahon. Remember, the Yankees made a big production about saying how hard they and McMahon worked during the offseason to improve his swing. They altered his stance. He was awful when he came over to the Yankees last year and he is actually worse now. None of his hits have been powerful. They were basically little bleeders that squeaked through the infield. 

McMahon is not the only culprit. Randal Grichuk, who was brought in to be a tremendous right-handed bat in the lineup, as opposed to Jasson Dominguez, has not had a hit this season. I know he has only been up 12 times, but he is hitless in those 12 at bats. When you have limited opportunities, you have to make the most of them, not the least of them. Trent Grisham was hitless again and is batting .133. He and McMahon seem to be engaged in a nail-biting battle of ineptitude to see who the worst hitter in the Yankees lineup is. Grisham has a whopping six hits for the season. That works out to $3,666,666.67 per hit. That's even more expensive than gas! On top of that, Jazz Chisholm. Jr. announced that he doesn't like playing in the cold weather. That bodes well for October, doesn't it?

I owe Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees a profound apology. I predicted that they would have their usual, annual Boone-Swoon and that it would probably come earlier than usual this year. I stand humbled before you. The New York Yankees will not have a Boone-Swoon in 2026. They are not good enough to have a swoon. A swoon indicates a fall from a position of success and prominence. Let's be very clear, having a record of 8-7 after starting out at 7-1 is not a position of success or prominence. The Yankees have almost immediately settled into mediocrity. 

There are several very concerning aspects about the way the Yankees have started this season. The bullpen is inconsistent and generally ineffective and has been mishandled by Boone. The offense, including some of the starters and most of the bench players, has been awful. On top of that, the Yankees have not been playing top-notch competition. 

I know there are a few of you who will say that the Blue Jays and Red Sox are struggling as well. That is true but the Yankees don't need to concern themselves with those teams. They need to right their own ship.  It just seems that they may not have the right players or management to do so.

A Few Tidbits:

·       The Yankees are 0-6 in one-run games this season.

·       Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson went three for four, scored twice, stole his seventh base, and has reached base in all fifteen games this season. Basically, he had almost as many hits as one in one game as Ryan McMahon has had since the beginning of the season.

·      The Yankees 6th through 9th place hitters were 2-14 yesterday. One of those hits came from Amed Rosario who replaced Grichuk in the outfield after he was pinch-hit for by Giancarlo Stanton.

·       Jasson Dominguez had two more hits for Scranton yesterday and is batting .354 with 2 home runs, 8 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. I am suddenly reminded of that old tongue twister: “How many hits would a Grichuk get if a Grichuk could get hits?”

The Yankees hope to win a game tomorrow when they face the Angels at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.  Will Warren, (1-0, 3.07 ERA) will face Yusei Kikuchi, (0-2, 6.75 ERA).