Bruising and Losing

By Eddie Castro
It has not been the most pleasant month and a half if you are a Yankees fan. The team just recently wrapped up a 7-game road trip in which the Yankees went 1-6. As we go to press, the Yankees have a win-loss record of 9-16 in their last 25 games.

During that span, the lineup and pitching have simply been abysmal. Their offense has struggled to score runs, especially with runners in scoring position. Currently, the offense has gone 8 for 52(.154 batting average) with a runner on second base and no outs. The league average is .263, and yes, you guessed it, NO RBIs during that stretch.

Many players have struggled in the lineup, such as Austin Wells, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Volpe. The pitching has not made things better for the Bronx Bombers. Over the past six games, the Yankees’ starting rotation has posted an 8.36 ERA, giving up 26 runs in 28 innings. Their bullpen has been worse, posting an 11.65 ERA, giving up 22 earned runs in 17 innings.

Injuries have also plagued the ball club. One of their top relievers, Fernando Cruz, went down with an Oblique strain. It’s his second stint this season on the Injured List. This past week, the team announced that starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt would require Tommy John Surgery, which will not only end his 2025 season but likely all of 2026 for him as well.

Schmidt was arguably the Yankees ‘ third-best pitcher next to Carlos Rodon and Max Fried. General Manager Brian Cashman will now look in the trade market to shop for a starting pitcher, along with bullpen help and a third baseman.

Heading into tonight’s matchup against the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees have five games remaining before the All-Star break. After being in first place for most of the season, the team now sees itself 3.5 games behind the red-hot Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East division. Manager Aaron Boone will, without a doubt, look to mix the lineup around in hopes of igniting a Yankee offense that was on fire the first two months of the season.

Can this current Yankee lineup go back to its Bronx Bomber ways? Only time will tell. The most important thing is that the Yankees have a much better current homestead to end the first half.

Sports Notes: (Basketball) This past Tuesday marked 15 Years since LeBron James made his Infamous Decision and decided to take his talents to South Beach to Join the Miami Heat. 15 Years to the date also marked the first Column I produced for Our Time Press on James’ decision. I want to take time and thank the Our Time Press universe for their support for 15 years!

After visiting the beautiful country of St. Lucia, Talk Sports With Eddie podcast is back with an All-New episode. Tune in tonight at 5:00 P.M.EST and most importantly like and subscribe to the Our Time Press YouTube channel.

(Baseball) Congratulations to Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Edwin Diaz of the Mets and Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm, and Max Fried of the Yankees for being named to the AL and NL All-Star teams. The Home Run Derby is Monday July 14 followed by the All-Star gave on July 15th Live from Atlanta.