CLEVELAND — For the New York Yankees, every loss during their five-game losing streak is starting to look the same. “We had a chance to win a lot of the games we lost, but now we’re in a rut,” said manager Joe Girardi. “I think three of the losses in this streak were 2-1 losses.”
Girardi’s memory is correct. Three of the losses during the losing streak have been by the score of 2-1. The Yankees were shut out in two of the other games: 6-0 and 2-0. The common denominator? That’s easy: a lack of runs, which equals a lack of wins.
The Yankees of late are lacking wins, and their 2-1 loss to Cleveland Wednesday night cost them first place. The streaking Toronto Blue Jays won again on Wednesday, extending their winning streak to 10 games. That streak coinciding with the Yankees’ five-game losing streak can rearrange the furniture at the top of the AL East, and that’s exactly what’s happened.
Toronto has overtaken New York and moved into first place in the AL East. Girardi isn’t hitting the panic button, but he is hitting the reality button. “It’s going to come down to how we play in the last 50 games of the season,” he said. “We knew we were in a battle before today’s game started, and we’re still in it.”
Making the battle even juicier is that after finishing their three-game series in Cleveland on Thursday, the Yankees will fly to Toronto for a three-game weekend series between the two top teams in the division, one rolling, one reeling.
“Obviously, we’ve got to get it going,” said Girardi.