Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Staying Positive Despite 'Unacceptable' Sweep in Detroit

The New York Yankees were swept by the Detroit Tigers this weekend, but manager Aaron Boone and players like right fielder Aaron Judge are staying positive

Max Goodman

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off yet another disappointing performance from the Yankees, getting swept by the Tigers this weekend, right fielder Aaron Judge was asked about his team's performance in Detroit.

"What we've been putting out there right now is not our best, it's unacceptable," Judge said. "We gotta dig down deeper and make some changes."

For a club that was surging leading up to this series, a sweep at the hands of one of the worst teams in baseball is truly unacceptable.

The numbers for the Yankees over three games at Comerica Park are staggering. 

New York went 2-for-25 with runners in scoring position. In fact, they didn't come up with a base hit in a run-scoring opportunity until an RBI single from Gleyber Torres with two outs in the eighth inning on Sunday.

The Yankees added another run that inning, but that's all they could muster on Sunday, falling 6-2. It's the first three-game sweep by the Tigers with the Yankees in town since May of 2000.

Sunday's sweep-clinching defeat was the Yankees' eighth game in their last 11 where the offense managed to score just two runs or less in a single game. Three of those came this weekend in Detroit as the Yankees were outscored 15-5.

Even with another disappearing act from the bats, and a handful of discouraging performances from the pitching staff, the Yankees are staying positive. Manager Aaron Boone was adamant that his club has what it takes to move past this forgetful weekend, no matter how frustrating this series was.

"As pissed off as I am, and as we should be by the way we've played, it's a bad weekend," Boone said Sunday. "We need to turn the page, we have an important homestand coming up against some really good opponents. And yes, we are absolutely good enough."

Boone added that this team has battled through tough stretches before this season. New York got off to a shaky start in April, falling to last place in the division at 5-10. From there, they buckled down to jump back to nine games over .500, sweeping the Chicago White Sox—the top team in the American League—last weekend. 

Unable to take care of business in Detroit, though, the Bombers will need to flip the script right away. New York returns to the Bronx on Monday for the beginning of a seven-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, teams ahead of them in the division.

More struggles on offense—and more mistakes on the bases and in the field—would make it virtually impossible to hang with those talented teams. Especially the Rays, who will enter play on Monday winners of 15 of their last 16.

"We need to figure it out and find a way to play cleaner baseball more consistently, because we're about to go up against some really good teams," Boone said. "But as frustrated as I am, I'm not gonna let a bad weekend cloud what I know this team is capable of."

As the skipper explained on Saturday, the track record of his players gives him solace that this offense can bounce back in a big way. Same goes for Judge, who said he and his teammates need to be honest with themselves, maintaining a short memory.

"I've seen each guy at their best at some point in their career and at some point during the season," he said. "It's gonna come."

The Yankees can either rebound and make a statement against Tampa—a team that's had their number all year—or dig themselves into an even deeper hole in the standings. It all depends on how quickly Boone and his players can flush the type of baseball that was played this weekend in Detroit. 

"This is just a bad ending to a terrible weekend," Boone said. "We've got to get better."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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