Everything is not right for the New York Yankees. They are 33-31 entering Sunday’s action, 7.5 games out of first in the AL East and three games back in the chase for the Wild Card. The offense has been a disaster for much of the season, and there are plenty of questions about the back of the rotation. If the Yankees are going to make a push for the postseason, they will need a lot to change.
However, there has been some hope. The Yankees offense has begun to show signs of life of late, scoring 34 runs in their past five games, although they are just 2-3 in that span. Those 34 runs have accounted for 13.5% of the runs that the Yankees have scored all season.
New York Yankees offensive showing not what it seems
Based on their runs scored, one would imagine that the Yankees’ lineup is starting to wake up. Manager Aaron Boone claims he is not interested in moral victories, but feels that the offense starting to show what they are capable of as a good sign.
The problem is that the latest offensive barrage is not what it seems. The Yankees had a three game set against the Twins, a team that, for whatever reason, performs as though they are a mediocre minor league squad whenever they see the pinstripes in the opposing dugout. That lineup was held in check by Vince Velazquez, who is basically the definition of pitching mediocrity. The vast majority of their seven runs on Saturday came against the Phillies’ bullpen that is the equivalent of pouring petrol on a fire.
Even if the Yankees have had help based on the schedule, this performance gives hope. For most of the season, the lineup has centered around whatever Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were able to do. They had gotten little help from anyone else, as Gio Urshela was the only other player with an OPS+ above league average.
That statistic has changed. Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and Miguel Andujar have joined that group, giving the lineup more punch from top to bottom. Given the players that they have on the roster, it seemed to be a matter of time until the lineup started to heat up. It is simply that the current surge may have more to do with the opposition than anything else.
The New York Yankees lineup is showing signs of life at last. However, those signs may not be quite what they think they are.