Aaron Judge was hoping the New York Yankees could start fresh after the All-Star break. That’s what all the fans hoped as well. But it seems the slump is not going away soon for the Bronx Bombers. Since June 13, the Pinstripes went 6-16 in their next 22 games. Moreover, in July, they had an even worse start as they went 4-8. A few games later, the All-Star Break happened. It seemed important for the team to rejuvenate and come back stronger.
But the very first series against the Tampa Bay Rays after the All-Star Game week saw the NY side lose again. They lost the series because they lost back-to-back games. However, the captain, Aaron Judge, did not have a bad game on Sunday. He did hit a three-run home run. However, he could not get much help from his teammates. After the game, the leading home run hitter this season explained why his team struggled with bases loaded.
Aaron Judge Explained Why Yankees Are Still Struggling
On Sunday, it was clear that the Yankees were struggling with the timing of their hits. As a result, it did cost them another series. Moreover, the NY side faced a second consecutive loss against the Rays on Sunday. The team may lose, but the captain did not disappoint against the Rays. After all, the 2022 AL MVP hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning off Jason Adam. During the first and second frames, however, the Yankees offense fell short in the earlier innings. But they managed to load the bases with only a single out. Gleyber Torres tried to go deep in the first but it was not enough to score the Dominican slugger Juan Soto from the third. Later, the lineout of Alex Verdugo finished the rally. The second inning was kind of similar to the first as Juan Soto grounded into a double play. He did it with a full count, and as a result, he failed to drive in a run.
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In the post-game interview, Aaron Judge mentioned that it seemed like the team was trying to do “Too much.” Moreover, the captain added that the team has not been doing well as an offensive unit over the past two games. However, in Game 1, they did have a great offensive performance. But on Sunday, Judge felt they were trying to do too much when the runners were in scoring position. Adding to that, Aaron Judge mentioned that he has been there in those situations a lot when he tried to spark the team and get something going. Then, he said, “Stuff like that happens, and we just gotta go back to doing our job.”
Marcus Stroman Agreed With The Captain
In the post-game interview on Sunday, starting pitcher Marcus Stroman said that it is not easy to maintain a winning streak over 162 games. Moreover, he said the team has a lot of confidence, especially after how good Juan Soto has been and his partnership with Aaron Judge has been superb all year. Adding to that, Stroman says that it is important to remember how incredible the Judge-Soto duo has been. After the All-Star break, the Yankees won the first game against the Rays.
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Then, on Saturday, they lost 9-1 and had a similar result on Sunday with a 6-4 loss. But the bright side was Aaron Judge continued his dominance hitting his 35th homer this year. Stroman says the whole team knows they can’t put all the pressure on the Judge-Soto duo. Hence, there are a lot of concerns throughout the team regarding the ongoing slump.
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