The New York Yankees broke through the floodgates in first two months of the season when they became the firs MLB team to log 50 season wins. However, a couple of injuries to key and regular players were enough to derail their momentum completely down to the ground.
Since Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo got ruled out due to respective injures, the Yankees offensive production have witnessed a steep decline, thus resulting in an abysmal losing streak. Meanwhile, popular radio host Mike Francesa broke down Yanks struggles in his latest review video and opined that the hitting lineup is wasting Aaron Judge and Juan Soto’s valiant efforts.
Mike Francesa Says Yankees Losing Consistency In Offensive Production
A popular radio host named Mike Francesa recently lambasted the New York Yankees hitting lineup for squandering what could be an MVP season for both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. In a fiery segment, the host criticized the Yankees’ management and overall team performance, arguing that the club’s shortcomings have overshadowed the stellar contributions of their star players. After a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on Friday, the Yanks’ losing streak extended to four games, and the team’s record has gone further down to 54-36. And it does not take a genius to figure out that the root cause of the problem is offence. Mike explained in his video that irrespective of the quality of opponents, the Yanks cannot win.
It’s because they are not playing good baseball and have lost consistency. Moreover, Mike Francesa added that the hitting lineup is wasting the efforts of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge despite the duo having an MVP-level season. Not only that, the radio host pointed out Giancarlo Stanton’s hamstring injury as the beginning of the club’s downfall. “The entire lineup has collapsed around them [Judge and Soto] with the Stanton injury,” Mike said in his YouTube video. Indeed, Francesa’s assessment is more or less accurate. Judge, Soto, and Stanton combined hit over 50 home runs in just the first half of the year. Whereas Anthony Volpe, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres have struggled to log 10 homers each. Besides homers, the lower order has even failed to record extra-base hits, creating necessary scoring opportunities.
Aaron Judge, Juan Soto Confirmed American League All-Star Starters
Meanwhile, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto found a reason to cheer amid a tough stretch as they received recognition for their hard work on the plate this season. MLB confirmed the duo as American League outfielder starters for the upcoming All-Star game scheduled at Arlington, Texas. Judge didn’t have to wait for Phase 2 as he got the highest votes in Phase 1, resulting in a direct qualification.
On the other hand, Juan Soto received a good number of votes in Phase 2, and he will join Aaron Judge at the All-Star game. While this will be Judge’s sixth All-Star appearance, Soto will be representing the Yankees for the first time at the centre stage. The All-Star game is scheduled for July 17 at Globe Life Field in Texas.
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