Swept by Reds, Yankees Lose Grip on AL East Division Leadership; Judge’s Offensive Struggles Add to Frustration

The Cincinnati Reds swept the New York Yankees on Thursday, marking the first time this season that the Reds have done so in a three-game series. Despite an impressive offensive performance by Aaron Judge, who hit like an MVP, the Yankees were unable to mount a comeback as they lost 8-4 in the ninth inning. A costly error by Trent Grisham in the outfield added to fans’ frustration, with Grisham’s lackluster effort drawing boos from the crowd.

Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman struggled in the game, allowing three home runs and five earned runs in five innings of work. The Yankees have now lost 13 of their last 17 games, falling from first place in the AL East to 2 games back. Despite his struggles on offense, Judge went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the game. Richard Schenck, hitting coach for Judge and other players on the team, criticized their offensive development as “terrible.”

The Yankees will look to turn things around when they face off against their archrivals, the Boston Red Sox, at home next week. They will then head out on a crucial road trip against their divisional foes, the Baltimore Orioles before heading into a well-deserved All-Star break. The team will need to find a way to right their ship if they want to avoid falling further behind in their division standings and ultimately make it back into playoff contention.