Just a game after snapping their seven-game skid, the New York Yankees’ offense and defense collapsed again. The Minnesota Twins produced the fireworks at Yankee Stadium on July 4, as they were all over the Yankees’ pitchers with six home runs. With their 11-4 defeat to the Twins, the Yankees have now lost eight of their last nine games, putting the team at 49-39. Following the game, the Yankees manager called out their 29-year-old closer, whose flop-show in the eighth put his team in a deeper hole.

“Execution against the lefties is critical, because obviously, they have a better look at him,” said Aaron Boone about Camilo Doval’s outing, per SNY Yankees. “But against lefties, he got to be cleaner with the execution. He’s capable of that when he’s right. But obviously, that part has been a struggle.”

Brendan Beck, called up on Friday as Carlos Rodon’s replacement, put the Yankees in a 6-0 hole early on Saturday. He allowed four of the six homers the Twins hit. However, the Yankees had slowly chipped back on that lead and were trailing 7-4 when Boone tasked Doval with closer duties in the eighth.

However, that decision backfired badly.

Doval allowed four runs, including a home run, in his 27-pitch long inning. The closer put the Yankees in a hole that the faltering offense failed to chip away at. The Yankees were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Doval started the inning strong against the right-handed Luke Keaschall and catcher Alex Jackson. However, Keashcall reached base on Jazz Chisholm Jr’s fielding error, while Doval struck out Jackson. But he unraveled against the lefty batters, starting with a single to Trevor Larnach.

All four runs he allowed came against lefties, including the two-run homer to Josh Bell. This season, left-handed batters are hitting as high as .355 against Doval. He recorded a 6.43 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 34 games against the lefties. Doval’s struggles against left-handed batting are immense when compared to right-handers. They are hitting only at an average of .141 against him.

Hence, following his 38 outing in the pinstripes this year, Boone’s message to Doval was clear and to the point about what the team needed from him.

As the Yankees surrendered six home runs in a single game for the first time since 2019 against the Twins, they witnessed a “tarps off” moment in the stands.

In the eighth inning with the Yankees trailing 8-4, a bunch of Bronx supporters joined in on the viral “tarps off” trend to boost their team’s energy against the home team. One dude’s shirtless shadow was even visible near the home plate. The group quickly lost enthusiasm as Doval unraveled on the mound.

Meanwhile, the Twins hit six homers for the first time since a 20-6 win at Cleveland on September 4, 2023. With the series now at a 1-1 tie, tonight’s game will be the decider for the Yankees’ fate.