The highs just don’t stay for long for the New York Yankees. Yes, the team stays around the top of AL East because the Baltimore Orioles match the Pinstripes in losing winnable games. But then, the pitching staff continues to be the Achilles heel for the Bronx Bombers. Now the firebreathing Luis Gil’s early exit has once again highlighted just how absurdly unfortunate the Yankees’ pitching staff is.

Luis Gil’s wave has subsided after a tremendous start to the season. The young rookie’s pitching has visibly lost some of its tight control. That was visible again against the Cleveland Guardians where Gil gave away three runs in three hits during his three-plus innings start. Gil walked six batters and could only throw a first-pitch strike to six hitters. However, it was Gil’s lower back tightness that was the cause of worry for the Yankees.

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” a visibly tense Gil said in his post-game interview. “You’re a little worried because you’re coming out of the game because you’re feeling something that’s not right. But at the same time, we’ve just got to take it day by day and see how I feel tomorrow.” The rookie has already missed almost two years of his career due to an elbow injury. Still as of now, there isn’t any imaging scheduled for him.

The New York Yankees have revealed that Dr. David Trofa has examined Luis Gil. The star pitcher will be re-examined on Wednesday to understand the depth of his issues. Gil’s pain started after he gave away a home run to Brayan Rocchio and walked Steven Kwan. The pitcher looked uncomfortable after his 89 mph changeup and was finally pulled out of the game. As for the Yankees, their offense continues to disappoint.

Aaron Boone rues Yankees’ missed opportunities

“It’s just been a few games now where we’ve struggled offensively,” Aaron Boone said about the Yankees. “Juan and Aaron got us off to a really good start in the first inning, but we’ve got to cash in those opportunities.”

Boone was, of course, referring to the Yankees’ inability to score runs. This was visible again last night when the Bronx Bombers failed to capitalize on Juan Soto and Aaron Judge’s back-to-back homers. Throughout the 12 innings, the New York Yankees went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Overall, they stranded 12 runners in what was another poor offensive display.

The pitchers too gave away 14 walks (the first time they’ve done that since 1993). As a result, one could guess that this was as much a Yankees loss as it was the Cleveland Guardians’ win. But with Luis Gil’s injury, things are looking even more shaky for the Bronx Bombers. The team is now half a game behind the Baltimore Orioles. While yes, they remain in a comfortable position for a wild card entry, things could change very quickly.

Gil’s lower back injury isn’t expected to be serious, but could potentially lead to him missing games. Would the Pinstripes’ already struggling pitching staff find a way to cope with this loss? Especially when the regular season has entered its final stretch? That is a big question.