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The New York Yankees have now lost four of their last five games. Thursday night's 7-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds revealed that this New York team still has weaknesses that need to be addressed.
The Reds fully deserved their 2-1 series win against a Yankees team that, despite winning, has played poorly over the last month.
Luis Castillo versus Nestor Cortes was the much-hyped matchup that fans had been waiting for. Both starting pitchers were exceptional and battled through the first four innings without conceding a run. Cortes gave up a run in the fifth, and Castillo in the sixth, but both completed seven innings with the game tied 1-1.
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After wearing out the All-Star starters, the offense woke up. Both teams combined for six runs in the eighth inning, scoring three each.
The game proceeded to extra innings, where the Reds beat up on Lucas Luetge to add three runs in the tenth. A two-run homer from Matt Carpenter revived the crowd and gave the Yankees hope, but it was too little too late. Reliever Dauri Moreta closed out the win for the Reds.
Nestor Cortes was outstanding on the mound. The recently called-up All-Star completed seven innings, allowing just one earned run and four hits with four strikeouts to his name. He threw a total of 89 pitches of which 64 were strikes.
The New York Yankees' bullpen continues to flounder with another poor showing
With Nestor Cortes posting these numbers and the offense supporting him with six runs, you might have bet the house on the New York Yankees' victory.
Unfortunately, the bullpen issues continue for the Yankees, who are having trouble closing out games.
Even with Jonathan Loaisiga returning after nearly two months out, this bullpen looks overworked, mismanaged and inefficient.
Aaron Boone has to take some responsibility for these losses. He has benched top hitters at the wrong moment, and his management of the bullpen has been dreadful.
However, there were some positives for the New York Yankees. Aaron Judge hit his 31st home run of the season off Jeff Hoffman. It took Judge three clear of Kyle Schwarber and five clear of Yordan Alvarez to give him some separation in the home-run race.
Matt Carpenter continued his fine hitting form with another home run. That takes his total to 11 home runs this year with 24 RBIs and a .338 batting average. Boone has used him sporadically this season, but it's hard to imagine what more Carpenter can do to earn a starting spot.
Cincinnati Reds fans will hope that this series win can turn the tide for them. Beating the team with the best record in the league tends to give your players a confidence boost.
After an atrocious start to the season, the Reds have won six out of their last seven games. Their 34-55 record ties them with the Chicago Cubs.
The New York Yankees will use the All-Star break to regroup. The hitting has cooled off lately, and the bullpen could use the rest.
For the Yankees, losing four out of five games with the talent they have on this roster is unacceptable.
