SI: AM | The Yankees’ Woes Continue

Plus, a change at the top for the USWNT.

Good morning, I’m Kevin Sweeney, pinch-hitting for Dan Gartland. We’ve got an abbreviated newsletter for you this morning, which might be good for Yankees fans reading this.

In today’s SI:AM:

⚾ Yankees’ disastrous season hits a new low

⚽ USWNT coach steps down

🏈 Dispatches from Rams, Raiders camp

Not much has gone well for New York since the All-Star break :: Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports

Yankees Shut Out … Again

The 2023 season has officially gone off the rails for the Yankees.

The supposed “Bronx Bombers” were shut out for a second consecutive game by Braves pitching Wednesday, mustering just four hits (all singles) against Charlie Morton and the Atlanta bullpen. The loss pushed the Yankees under .500 at 60–61, marking the latest point in a season the organization has been under .500 since the 1995 season. New York now sits 6.5 games out of an AL wild-card spot and is 3.5 games behind the fourth-place Red Sox.

How did we get here? The Yankees’ offense has struggled all season long but has fallen off even further during its post-All-Star break swoon. The Yanks are just 11–19 since the Midsummer Classic and have scored more than five runs in just nine of those 30 games. Injuries haven’t helped matters, with Anthony Rizzo, Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes currently on the IL, but there are deeper issues that have caused the Yankees’ demise. A poorly constructed roster and a lack of help at the trade deadline have left the Yankees in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. At this rate, finishing under .500 for the first time in more than 30 years is possible.

Could that lead to major organizational changes? Manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman will continue feeling the heat if things don’t turn around fast in the Bronx.

The best of Sports Illustrated

• The Seahawks’ young talent is drawing comparisons to the “Legion of Boom” teams, and Pete Carroll isn’t running from the high expectations.
• Tom Verducci has a lofty comparison for the Braves’ historic offense: The Big Red Machine. He has the numbers to back it up.
• Australia’s inspiring run at the Women’s World Cup came to an end in the semifinals, but Clare Brennan believes the team will leave a lasting impact on women’s soccer in the country.
• Gilberto Manzano stopped by the Rams and Raiders’ joint practice and has notes on how Jimmy Garoppolo is looking. Plus, thoughts on the Rams’ young defense.
• Matt Verderame caught up with Super Bowl star Nick Bolton on what’s next for one of the Chiefs’ top defensive players.

SIQ

*SIQ will return Aug. 28.

Yesterday’ SIQ: On Aug. 16, 2017, due to a series of injuries to other players, Mets infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera repeatedly switched between second base and third base, leading to the hilarious box score notation “2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B-3B-2B” next to his name. Who was the player he swapped positions with every time a right-handed batter came to the plate?

Answer: Travis d’Arnaud. He was pressed into action when, only about two hours before the game against the Yankees, the Mets learned that José Reyes and Wilmer Flores would be unavailable due to injury. d’Arnaud had hardly any experience as an infielder to that point. He’d played two games at first base in Triple A five years earlier.

In an effort to minimize the risk of putting a lifelong catcher at third base, Mets manager Terry Collins had him switch positions with second baseman Asdrúbal Cabrera based on the handedness of the batter. With lefties up, d’Arnaud played third. With righties up, Cabrera played third, to avoid d’Arnaud facing any hard-hit balls pulled down the line. Collins’s gambit worked flawlessly. d’Arnaud, borrowing David Wright’s infield glove, didn’t have a ball hit to him until he caught an easy pop-up at second in the ninth inning. The idea wasn’t Collins’s originally, though. According to MLB.com, he came up with the plan because he had been asked to do the same thing as a minor leaguer in 1976 when a teammate was forced to play out of position.

Though d’Arnaud was lucky to escape without embarrassing (or injuring) himself, he was really hoping to have an opportunity to make a few highlight plays.

“I wanted to make a diving play down the line or rob someone of a base hit, like people do to me,” he said.