The New York Yankees are doing their best impression of Jeckyl and Hyde this season.
I’ve written a lot about the struggles the New York Yankees have faced of late. Be it their playoff positioning or the unprecedented number of injures the team has faced, there’s no question that this is quite possibly the worst brand of baseball the team has played in a long time, and I have the numbers to prove it.
To begin with, through the team’s first 22 games, they had just come off of a 6-game win streak and held the best record (16-6 | .727 W-L%) in MLB. Right behind them, the Los Angeles Dodgers held a similar 17-7 record (.708 W-L%).
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Since then, the next 18 games have painted an entirely different picture. The Yankees have gone 5-13 9 (.267 W-L%), which is tied with the Kansas City Royals for the second-worst record in MLB. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers are tied for the worst record (3-15 | .167 W-L%) in baseball.
This isn’t some type of aberration either. In those first 22 games, the Yankees were tied with the Minnesota Twins for the best run-differential (Rdiff) in the AL with 38. Only the Dodgers had a better Rdiff (62) in MLB.
Since then, the Yankees have the fourth-worst Rdiff (-29), dropping their season Rdiff to just 9, the worst of any playoff-contending team in the American League.
Fortunately, the New York Yankees will have opportunities to make up some ground. Currently, they’re the sole owners of the 8-seed in the AL playoff picture. Their division rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays (5th seed), are ahead of them by a single game.
The Yankees and Jays have yet to face off this month and will do so for the first time tonight, giving them an opportunity to tie things up with the jays. They face the Blue Jays NINE more times after tonight, in what will certainly be must-see TV.
One thing is certain, however, if the Yankees keep playing like they have been over their last 18 games, they don’t stand a chance.