See the Yankees lineup shut out in consecutive games this week without what hitting coach Dillon Lawson describes as "three of the top five hitters." was uncomfortable. 3rd and 4th time in 10 days.
Lawson has injured his league leader Americans in run numbers. An underperforming regular picks up an absent teammate.
"One of our greatest strengths throughout the season is the depth of our lineup. So right now, one of our greatest strengths is no longer there," Lawson said Tuesday at the stadium. "At the moment, there are some players missing from the lineup, but we're still in the lineup," he said before suffering a 3-1 loss to the Rays at . Some players are performing all year round, perhaps experiencing their first real slump since April.
We have to keep our heads down and keep moving forward.”
was the obvious culprit. He was left out of Tuesday's lineup — MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge returned to center field — after Monday night's no-hitter game, 4-4 with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and he Made a 1-2-3 double play. 0 losses to Tampa Bay.
Lawson added that he believes Torres "shook the bat well" against Josh Donaldson and Graber in his recent 2-7 outing for the Yankees.
Still, Donaldson (his 1-4 record on Tuesday) has not slugged or RBI since his four-hit game in Seattle on Aug. 8. He has struck out 11. Instead, it's stuck in a 25-to-3 slide. Torres has had three hits in his last two games since stopping a 0-22 skid Monday night. Andrew Benintendi hit .211 and .657 OPS in 18 games after being traded from the Royals on July 27, though he singled in three trips and he tripled on Tuesday. is doing.
Judges, his MLB leader in home runs, can't be expected to do it all in a lineup that has averaged 2.75 RBIs over the last 12 games. in the first 105 contests.
"Even when things were going well, we were always questioning the process. We were still changing what we were doing," Lawson said. I was. “Even when things were going well, we were still coaching. Together with Judge, Stanton, [Anthony] Rizzo and DJ, we continue to guide them through a great season.
The idea, adds Lawson, "can lead to panic and reluctance." That's why he and manager Aaron Boone have always preached that the Yankees "can't rest on the fact that they were winning games."
``Is it good baseball? Is it a good process? Lawson said. is there?
"We have to keep improving. We believe we have the best offense in baseball, but keep poking and moving forward."
