We’re three weeks into the season, and officially in our first stretch of the doldrums. The Yankees’ bats have gone completely unreliable over the course of a four-game losing streak, backed up mainly by Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton swinging solid bats and the rest of the lineup noodling around. Their latest attempt to break out of their funk saw them waste a solid Max Fried start, rally late to take a lead as José Caballero managed to find a two-run double just to blow the lead in the same inning, and then repeat that in extras. They’ll look to salvage the series finale later today, but suffice to say things are not looking great for the pinstripes.
Today on the site, Estevão leads off with a look at how the concerns of the offseason have come to roost in the lineup’s early struggles, and then Matt gets a double-feature first covering the Rivalry Roundup and the results around the league from Saturday before getting into the history of Sammy Vick’s time as a Yankee on his birthday. Kento dives into Statcast to examine some key Yankees’ batting stance changes entering 2026, and after the game John will be around to deliver the weekly social media spotlight.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 1:40 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Rays.tv
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Questions/Prompts:
1. Are we going to see the first sweep go against the Yankees this year, or can they get a sliver of revenge in the Trop?
2. Of the batters under the Mendoza line, who do you think will be the first to get back above it?
Read the full article here