Since June 15, the Yankees are 23-30.
Their team ERA of 5.03 over that stretch ranks 27th in the majors.
Only nine teams have blown more saves than the Yankees’ eight in those 53 games.
Yet the Yankees remain squarely in the mix for baseball’s best record.
Even with Sunday night’s blown-lead loss to the Detroit Tigers in the Little League Classic, the Yankees woke up Monday with a 73-52 record — and just a half-game behind the MLB-best Philadelphia Phillies (73-51).
The Yankees began Monday in a first-place tie with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. Three other teams — the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians — had at least 72 wins, but none had more than 73.
A glance at the standings offers a reminder that there’s no flawless team in baseball this season.
The road to the World Series remains wide open.
And there’s plenty to like about the Yankees. Aaron Judge, the American League’s MVP frontrunner, leads the majors with 44 home runs, 111 RBI and a 1.166 OPS, while his .331 average ranks second.
Juan Soto is putting together a similarly excellent season, with a 1.033 OPS that trails only Judge’s to go with 34 home runs and 87 RBI that also rank among the league leaders.
The Yankees’ pre-deadline trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr. has lengthened their lineup, and he appeared to avoid serious injury with the elbow sprain that landed him on the IL last week.
After missing nearly the first three months of the season with elbow inflammation, Gerrit Cole is starting to round back into ace form. His six shutout innings in Friday’s win over the Tigers marked his first scoreless outing out of 10 starts this season.
The Yankees’ run differential of +116 leads the majors.
Of course, the Yankees’ uneven play over the past two-plus months has revealed flaws. Their bullpen lacks swing-and-miss pitchers who can escape jams with strikeouts.
Their pre-deadline trades for relievers in that mold have not worked out thus far, with Enyel De Los Santos already waived and Mark Leiter Jr. posting a 6.48 ERA as a Yankee after taking the loss in extra innings Sunday.
Sinker-balling closer Clay Holmes continues to pitch to soft contact, but his 10 blown saves lead the majors. He surrendered the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning Sunday, raising his ERA to 4.80 since May 20.
“Clay, he’s had some tough breaks back there that’s led to [blown saves],” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday. “I can think of a couple of them where we didn’t make a play and it goes on him, but it’s not really [on him]. The reality is, he’s throwing the ball really well. That said, we’ve got a lot of guys that I feel like are throwing the ball really well in some certain situations, but right now, Clay’s the guy.”
The Yankees have missed hard-throwing reliever Jonathan Loáisiga, who underwent season-ending elbow surgery in April, and Ian Hamilton, who has been out since mid-June with a lat strain.
Their starting pitching, meanwhile, went from an MLB-best 2.77 ERA through June 14 to a 29th-ranked 5.55 ERA since. Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes have all taken their lumps during that stretch, though each has delivered encouraging outings in recent weeks.
The offense, meanwhile, has been too reliant at times on Soto and Judge, with a lack of production from the leadoff spot in front of them being particularly problematic.
But the Yankees are not alone.
Like the Yankees, the Orioles entered Monday with a 5.03 ERA since June 15. Season-ending injuries to starting pitchers Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells and to star closer Felix Bautista have ravaged their staff.
The Dodgers, too, are decimated by injuries, with starters Yoshinobu Yamamoto (triceps tightness) and Tyler Glasnow (elbow tendinitis) among those on the IL and Mookie Betts having just returned from a broken hand that kept him out nearly two months.
The Phillies are 11-17 since the All-Star break — a stretch that’s included a prolonged slump by Bryce Harper and a three-game sweep at home by the Yankees.
The Brewers are 25-14 against the rest of the NL Central — the only division without another team above .500 — compared to a more pedestrian 47-38 versus everyone else. They are 29-25 against opponents above .500.
The Guardians boast far-and-away the best bullpen in baseball, led by superstar closer Emmanuel Clase, but their starters’ ERA of 4.53 is 22nd in majors, while their offense ranks in the middle of the pack in most key categories. They are 34-31 against opponents above .500.
MLB is on pace for its first season without a .600 team since 2013, and its first non-COVID-shortended season without a 100-win team since 2014.
Last year’s World Series featured the 90-win Texas Rangers and the 84-win Arizona Diamondbacks, both of whom made the playoffs as Wild Card teams.
With a star-powered core of Judge, Soto and Cole, the Yankees remain in position to make a run — especially with so much parity at the top of the standings.
