Just when it seemed things couldn’t get any worse for the Yankees, they found a new low. After being swept by the Blue Jays, the Pinstripes have now dropped two straight to their crosstown rivals, the Mets, extending their tally of losses to six —their longest skid of the season. Well, it’s a freefall now that has left the clubhouse reeling.

Amid the slump, manager Aaron Boone didn’t sugarcoat the situation. He offered a brutally honest assessment of what’s going wrong for his ballclub, pointing out pitching as the major area of concern, of late.

“It’s been a terrible week, and it’s like you’re trying to find the balance between trying and finding the good things that are happening. It’s the pitching that has been kind of carrying us a lot this season, and has really, really struggled this week,” Boone said, while evaluating the team’s performance post the second loss against the Mets.

“As corny as it sounds, these are the moments that build character within a team,” the skipper further added.

The Yankees had a rough start in the second game of the Subway Series, but it didn’t get much better from there. Carlos Rodon gave up a grand slam to Brandon Nimmo in the first inning, putting the Yankees in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Furthermore, Rodon gave up a two-run homer to Pete Alonso in the fifth as well. He eventually finished his outing with seven runs allowed over five innings.

With an elite pitcher performing like this, an extended losing streak for the team is inevitable. Boone acknowledged that pitching is struggling this week, but per the skipper, the Yankees have the character to bounce back.

Notably, the offense has been the bright spot for the Yankees with Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, and Anthony Volpe all going deep. But the pitching and the defense have been nowhere near the standards.

The Bombers have lost 16 of their last 22 games and 6 of their last 6. And during this current losing streak, their starters have posted a disappointing 8.36 ERA, giving up 26 earned runs in just 28 innings. But what’s the reason behind this sudden slump?

Yankees are struggling with injuries

An in-form starting rotation was the key factor behind the Yankees’ dominance in the earlier parts of the season. Clarke Schmidt, in particular, was having a solid season, even with a late start due to rotator cuff tendonitis. He posted a 3.32 ERA over 78.2 innings and had an impressive streak of 28 1/3 scoreless innings in June. However, he may need Tommy John surgery now due to a torn UCL in his elbow, which is a devastating blow for the team.

Carlos Rodon, on the other hand, has lost his form as well. He started the season in a dominant fashion and for a significant stretch, his ERA was very low, around 2.60 to 2.95. But it has fallen off recently. As of July 5, 2025, in his last six starts, Rodon has a 5.34 ERA, allowing 28 hits including 7 home runs and 13 walks in 32 innings. Before the Subway Series, he gave up seven earned runs in his two previous starts against the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

Aaron Judge, meanwhile, has continued to carry the offense. He is leading the team with 32 home runs and 71 RBIs. But he had a bit of an injury scare recently. During Saturday’s game against the Mets, Judge was accidentally hit near the eye by a ball thrown by Anthony Volpe. He seemed alright later, but it was a tense moment for the the clubhouse as they can’t afford to lose Judge in such a tough stretch.

Nevertheless, the league is entering the second half, and the Yankees need to pick up the pace. As Boone said, they certainly have the character and the ability to do it.