New York Yankees fans excuse starter Clarke Schmidt's poor start, blame defensive lineup

On June 18, Clarke Schmidt got the ball at Fenway Park as the New York Yankees looked to take down the Boston Red Sox. It was the seventh meeting between two of baseball's most historic rivals in seven days, and the first of a two-game doubleheader.

After a harsh 15-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday, the Yankees are looking to get their heads back into things. The Red Sox are the last-placed team in the AL East, while the Yankees have been struggling to get their offense going.

Clarke Schmidt, 27, settled in for his fifteenth start of the season. Coming into the affair, Schmidt is 2-6, nursing a 4.70 ERA and a WHIP of 1.403. After an early home run from Gleyber Torres, Schmidt carried his team's 2-0 lead into the fifth inning, which is where things began to unravel. After allowing the bases to load up in the fifth inning, Schmidt allowed a pair of groundballs to tie the game, and was yanked by manager Aaron Boone after allowing 2 earned runs and 5 hits over 4.2 innings.

"Clarke's outing unravels in the fifth" - Talkin' Yanks

Despite the mediocre nature of Clarke Schmidt's start, New York Yankees fans do not seem to be laying the blame on him. Fans seem to believe that the team is failing to field their best players behind their starter.

Since their captain and 2022 MVP Aaron Judge was designated to the IL following a broken toe on June 4, the Yankees have been one of baseball's coldest teams. Hitting a league-worst .200 over the past two weeks, the team has also not won a series since they played the Los Angeles Dodgers on the day that Judge sustained his injuries.

Despite Clarke Schmidt's awkward outing at Fenway Park, Yankees pitchers have actually been a sort of saving grace for the team. Gerrit Cole is on course for a career season, while the bullpen retains best ERA in the MLB with a figure of just 2.89.

The Yankees currently trail the Red Sox 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh.

Clarke Schmidt is a symptomn of the Yankees poor rotational situation

While Schmidt has been having a rough go, he is making the best of a tough situation. Clarke Schmidt, a career reliver, was never meant to be a starter. However, the seemingly perpetual presence of key starters like Carlos Rodon and Frankie Montas has forced Aaron Boone to get creative. It's important to remember that prior to 2023, Schmidt had only made five career starts, and is probably still finding his groove.