Then, the next day, Mitchell landed awkwardly while covering first base and broke a bone in his foot. He would be out indefinitely, and Joe Girardi didn’t sound optimistic about his chances of reaching the big leagues this season. I thought my article was rendered obsolete, and Mitchell’s 2016 season would be a lost one.

Over five months later, on Wednesday night, Mitchell toed the rubber at Yankees Stadium for the first time since 2015…and proceeded to throw five innings of shutout baseball. Mitchell allowed just six baserunners, and was efficient with 80 pitches. He did everything the Yankees could have asked of him, and, along with a three inning relief outing from the new fireman, Luis Severino, carried the Yankees to a huge 2-0 win.

The Yankees have reached the point in the season where every game is considered ‘must-win,’ and every win is considered the ‘most important win of the season,’ but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. The Yankees, against all odds, managed to sweep the first place Blue Jays, and are now just 4 games out of first place and 2.5 games out of the Wild Card. The gutsy performances by Mitchell and Severino were two of the biggest outings of this season, and Starlin Castro’s home run (as well as Brian McCann’s RBI single) were massive contributions that will allow the Yankees to continue on one of the most unexpected and remarkable runs in baseball.

The Play: Starlin Castro gets to 20 home runs (+.124)

Starlin Castro, with the help of Mr. Gary Sanchez, has carried the Yankees over the past month. He continued to do so on Wednesday by putting the Yankees up 1-0 in the third inning with his 20th home run of the season.

Top Performers

Yankees: Starlin Castro (1-4, HR, R, RBI, K)

Blue Jays: Troy Tulowitzki (2-4, 2B)

The Highlight: Brian McCann drives in a run

Well, it wasn’t the biggest play ever, but in a 2-0 shutout, there’s not much else to show. It was a clean game, and there’s nothing wrong with that. McCann’s had a rough season, but that was his 53rd RBI of the year and he’s delivered a couple big hits recently.

Up Next

The Yankees get to stay home, playing the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series stretching from Thursday to Sunday. It will begin with CC Sabathia (4.20 ERA) taking on Alex Cobb (3.60 ERA).

Source: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Hicks, a potential five-tool player who evaluators once considered an elite prospect, had a disastrous start to his career as a Yankee. He hit .087 in April (a -35 wRC+!) and combined to slash .199/.262/.312 in May, June, and July. Not only was the speed which netted Hicks 13 steals in just 97 games last season completely gone (zero steals before August), but the 26-year old’s defense had slipped and his bat was practically a non-factor. The former Minnesota Twin had deservedly earned the ‘Hate Vessel’ tag from Yankees fans, and “We want Judge!” chants erupted from the crowd each time Hicks stepped to the plate.

But everything changed in August. Hicks, despite some lost at bats to the fan favorite and top prospect Aaron Judge, has hit .307/.342/480 over his past 29 games. All three of his 2016 steals have been swiped this month, and Hicks has also hit four of his seven home runs during this period. After an average wRC+ of 39 up to this past month, Hicks has hit his way to a 121 wRC+ in the dog days of August. How has this sudden change in performance happened? It’s not hard to see the adjustments Hicks has made, even if you have an eye as blind to scouting as I do.

The change is clear as day: the leg kick. You don’t need me to explain this picture. Aaron Hicks didn’t have a leg kick to start this season, but it gradually made its way into his swing throughout the year. Now, in his best month, Hicks has his highest kick yet, and it appears to be more than a coincidence.

Although Hicks hasn’t specifically commented on the mechanical change this season, it became an interesting subject of discussion while he was in the midst of a successful 2015 campaign. According to Brandon Warne of Twins Daily, Hicks was joking around in the 2014-2015 offseason, mimicking swings of notable players, when he first stumbled upon the leg kick.

“I started to like it,” Hicks told Warne. “From then on it was kind of a point where I was just like, you know what, I’m going to try this. We were just having fun in offseason hitting, and it just kind of led to me being comfortable with it and taking solid swings.”

Hicks continued to tinker with it in Spring Training, quickly becoming comfortable with the new part of his swing. Hicks felt the kick helped to “generate my timing mechanism so I need to have my hands ready,” while also making him a more aggressive hitter. Not only did the kick turn into an integral part of his breakout season, but it sounds like it may have catalyzed his surprising performance in the first place.

With that in mind, the sudden disappearance of the leg kick to begin this season is very odd. It doesn’t make sense for him to no longer incorporate what previously proved to be a key part of his success, and it’s unsurprising news that removing the leg kick has caused his 2016 season to nosedive.

Luckily, if August is any indication, bringing the leg kick back could turn around what looked like a lost season for Hicks. Over the past 30 days, Hicks has been hitting more line drives and making hard contact much more consistently. His performance has, as mentioned before, rapidly improved, and Hicks has turned in one of his best months since last July.

You may have noticed everything doesn’t completely add up, though. Sure, a lack of a leg kick explains a disastrous April, but he began to bring the adjustment back in mid-May. In a perfect world, Hicks’ performance turnaround should have correlated with the return of a leg kick. Realistically though, these types of mechanical tweaks can take months for a hitter to become comfortable with, and it took some time for Hicks to, once again, grow accustomed to a leg kick. The adjustment period meant some ugly swings in the first half, but it’s paid off lately.

Maybe Hicks won’t continue to play this well throughout September, but the leg kick provides a concrete answer to his sudden success, while also giving hope that the performance is sustainable. Although Hicks has had a difficult start to his tenure in pinstripes, there’s still a chance he turns into a well-rounded outfielder… one talented and productive enough to start in New York next season.

Source: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

This game truly was a team effort, with important contributions coming from all directions. Jacoby Ellsbury, Starlin Castro, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, and Brian McCann all pitched in with either a run or RBI, while Chase Headley and Brett Gardner also contributed multi-hit days.

Luis Cessa was solid, but unspectacular, over six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) with hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. The bullpen came up big, with Chasen Shreve, Tommy Layne, Adam Warren, Blake Parker, Ben Heller, and Dellin Betances all contributing scoreless appearances to steal the Yankees a win.

The Play: Starlin Castro doubles (+.238 WPA)

It’s a bit strange to see the most important play of a game be from a non-scoring hit, but Castro’s double made a huge difference, as it moved Didi Gregorius from first base to third. Didi would later score on a sacrifice fly from Brian McCann, which wouldn’t have been possible without Castro’s two-bagger.

Top Performers

Yankees: Starlin Castro (3-6, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI)

Royals: Kendrys Morales (1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI)

The Highlight: Starlin Castro hits a two-run home run

If Gary Sanchez hadn’t been the hottest hitter on earth over the past two weeks, Starlin Castro may have had a case for that title. He continued on a rampage on Thursday, pitching in three hits, including this pivotal two-run home run to pull the Yankees within one run.

Up Next

The Yankees will have Thursday off before traveling to Baltimore to take on the Orioles in what could be yet another season-altering series. The Yankees are expected to begin with Chad Green facing off against Dylan Bundy for the second time in a week (the first matchup resulted in a Yankees win).

Source: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

While the two losses were ugly and, at times, painful, Wednesday’s afternoon game was a huge success. The Yankees played a very solid and clean game, receiving contributions from all over. But, of course, the headline will be dominated by Masahiro Tanaka and Gary Sanchez, both of whom have been substantial contributors over the past few weeks.

Tanaka continued on an outstanding four game run in which he’s allowed just five runs and struck out 30 compared to just one walk. Clearly the Yankees’ ace, Tanaka turned in seven shutout innings, allowing just seven baserunners on six hits and a walk. He struck out five and threw 106 pitches.

On offense, Gary Sanchez once again stole the show with a mammoth 420 foot home run, his ninth of the season. He was also intentionally walked twice, because the Mariners are absolutely terrified of him, understandably so. Another rookie, Tyler Austin, chipped in a run with a RBI single to score, you guessed it, yet another rookie: Aaron Judge. Brett Gardner also brought in Aaron Hicks with a sacrifice fly, and Mark Teixeira’s single scored Gardner to make it 5-0. The final run came way of a Starlin Castro sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning.

The Play: Gary Sanchez crushes a home run (+.110 WPA)

I…uh…well, profanity isn’t really allowed on this website, so I’ll just settle for: WOW. Sanchez has played in 19 games this season, and has a solid nine home runs. He’s had one of the best starts to a career in recent memory, and is showing no signs of slowing down. This bomb traveled 420 feet, which is just mediocre for The Kraken’s standards.

Top Performers

Yankees: Gary Sanchez (2-3, HR, 2B, R, RBI, 2 IBB)

Mariners: Robinson Cano (2-4)

The Highlight: Tyler Austin drives in a run

I’m tempted to just post Gary Sanchez’s home run yet again, but I’ll have to settle for contributions from another Baby Bomber. Austin has had a rough go of things since a home run to open his big league career, but he delivered an important RBI single in the second inning of this one.

Up Next

The Yankees have a day off to travel back to the friendly confines of Yankees Stadium, where they’ll begin what may be the most important series of 2016 thus far. They’ll face the Orioles, who currently occupy the second Wild Card spot, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Source: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

CC Sabathia’s six inning outing was about as strange as it was backbreaking for the Yankees. The line looked like one out of a typical Michael Pineda implosion: six frames, nine hits, one walk, 12 strikeouts…and seven runs allowed. Although he was victimized by some poor fielding in the fifth inning and looked very strong in four of his six frames, the overall line is unsightly. Sabathia, like other Yankees pitchers, was ultimately done in by the longball, and the rough game raised his ERA all the way up to 4.49.

On Wednesday, the Yankees’ 2-3-4-5 in the order were Chase Headley, Starlin Castro, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge. All pitched in two hits and an RBI, while Sanchez, Headley, and Castro all hit solo home runs. Castro’s was his 15th of the season, a new career high, while Sanchez’s was his fifth in just thirteen games, as well as his third in two days.

The rest of the Yankees’ lineup combined for just one hit and five men left on base (all five by Didi Gregorius), but the offense and bullpen (Anthony Swarzak, Tommy Layne, and Kirby Yates somehow combined for three scoreless) gave the Yankees a chance to win. Unfortunately, Sabathia took them out of this game. For the next year or so, Yankees fans should probably get used to this type of outcome: a solid offense and bullpen, but poor starting pitching.

The Play: Melvin Upton puts the game out of reach (+.175 WPA)

From the Yankees being down 3-2 to 7-2, this play essentially ended the game for the Yankees. Although they would get two more runs by way of a Chase Headley home run and an Aaron Judge single, it wouldn’t be nearly enough because of Upton’s three-run home run.

Top Performers

Yankees: Gary Sanchez (2-4, HR, R, RBI, BB, K)

Blue Jays: Melvin Upton (2-4, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K)

Notes

-Starlin Castro has had a rough year on offense as a whole, but the power hasn’t wavered as he struck his career high 15th home run on Wednesday. Although a trade of contact for power hasn’t benefited him as a whole, it’s nice to see Castro hitting well of late.

-Gary Sanchez’s home run traveled 437 feet, meaning that all five of his home runs have traveled over 400 feet. You already knew this, but Sanchez’s power is very real.

-Chase Headley has had struggles on defense over the past couple of days, a couple mistakes leading to runs. He’s been much improved at the hot corner this season after a rough 2015, but things have been ugly lately.

-Josh Donaldson isn’t a Yankee, but his 3rd inning fight with manager John Gibbons (that required teammates to restrain him) was certainly noteworthy. The argument came after frustration following a strikeout. Donaldson would later leave the game with a jammed thumb.

The Quote

McCann on Gary Sanchez: "He's a future All-Star, year in and year out. There not many guys walking around with his talent."

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) August 17, 2016

The Highlight: Gary is (still) scary

The past two days haven’t been great for the Yankees, but Gary Sanchez has been immune to the struggles. He blasted his third home run in two games on Wednesday, making it his fifth in 13 days with the team. Sanchez has solidified himself as a middle of the order hitter for the Yankees, one who should be starting behind the plate almost every day now.

Up Next

The Yankees luckily have Thursday off, before heading to Anaheim to take on the struggling Angels. On paper, this should be an easy series for the Yankees, starting with Masahiro Tanaka (3.40 ERA) taking on Jared Weaver (5.32 ERA).

Photo: Adam Hunger/USA TODAY Sports

Unsurprisingly, the teams that are most prone to falling under the dog days curse are those who recently sold at the deadline. Much of the time, the best players on the club, those who can win games and turn heads on the field, have been shipped off for better teams. It’s a sure way to take the wind out of a team’s sails and spur a two-month-long nosedive. Finding motivation to power through the dreary climate and play good baseball can be nearly impossible.

The Yankees should be in this scenario, but somehow they’ve managed to weather the storm and are having, by far, their best month of 2016. Even stranger, the source of this unexpected success is directly related to the team’s trade deadline, which was supposed to dismantle the roster, not breathe life into it.

On deadline day, the team was 52-52 and seven games out of the division after four straight losses (three against one of the worst teams in baseball). Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman, three of the best players on the club, were traded, and the team essentially waved the white flag (despite what Joe Girardi may have insisted).

Since then, the Yankees have gone 8-5 (good for their best winning percentage in a month this season) and recently won five of their last seven games. Maybe they aren’t a playoff team, but the club has refused to fall victim to the depressing August setting. Instead, they’re playing their best and most exciting baseball of the year.

The buzz surrounding Yankee Stadium isn’t because of Mark Teixeira’s impending retirement, or Alex Rodriguez’s recent departure…in fact, it’s the exact opposite. New York has been reignited, and it’s because the Yankees are letting the kids play.

It’s something that fans have been begging for over the past five years, but only now is becoming truly possible. The Yankees have cleared roster space and rebuilt the farm system, stacking the high minor leagues with a bevy of impact talent that is near big-league ready. There’s nothing more exciting than a shiny new toy, and the Yankees have a few of them.

Just over two weeks ago, at the trade deadline, the team’s future drastically changed. Now, the team itself is transforming. It began when Teixeira and Rodriguez, two of the final relics from the last decade of Yankees’ baseball, announced their retirement. With the pair gone, the Yankees will be left with just two players from the 2009 World Series roster—Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia. It’s the start of a new era in the Bronx, and the Yankees have begun to infuse their roster with new, young talent.

It started with Gary Sanchez’s promotion to New York on Aug. 3. He notched his first major league hit that night, and followed it up with doubles in three straight games. Finally, last Wednesday to the chants of “Yankees suck!” at Fenway Park, Sanchez pummeled a massive solo home run, 426 feet into the center field bleachers.

And it didn’t stop there. Sanchez has somehow managed to upstage the offensive show with his arm behind the plate, gunning down three baserunners in just five games, and even slugged another home run on Sunday.

The catcher continued his assault on baseballs with two massive home runs on Tuesday, each, like his previous two longballs, traveling over 400 feet through the thick air. Sanchez is already a fixture in the lineup and behind the plate, and will be playing nearly every day with Alex Rodriguez now gone.

Speaking of Rodriguez, his last day as a Yankee marked another huge event for rookies. The Yankees took advantage of the roster space opening up by promoting the unbelievably hot-hitting Tyler Austin, owner of an outrageous .327/.418/.643 in Triple-A this season. Austin has beat cancer, a devastating wrist injury that almost derailed his baseball career, and powered his way to the show this season. He didn’t make the trip alone, though. Perhaps influenced by the “We want Judge!” chants in the stadium the night before, or his monstrous home run in Triple-A just minutes after the fans called his name, the team promoted 6’7″ behemoth Aaron Judge to the big league club on the same day.

The dual promotions paved the way for what may be the best moment of New York’s season. It began with Austin making his way to the plate for his first major league at bat on Saturday. He watched a fastball come in for strike one, swung at a changeup to go down 0-2, took two balls, fouled another changeup off, and then crushed a heater the opposite way into the right field seats for a home run. It was the perfect debut for Austin. Next up was Judge, and, well, you know what happened next. The right fielder ambushed a changeup, hitting it 446 feet to dead center, off the black windows of the restaurant…a place where all but the strongest sluggers can’t even dream of reaching.

The two rookies haven’t stopped, with Austin chipping in two more hits and a steal in the seven at bats following the home run, and Judge hitting a single and launching another home run in the following game. He followed it up with an RBI double on Monday, which would prove to be the winning (and only) run of the game. Suddenly, the bottom of the Yankees’ order has become must-see television. Sanchez, Austin, and Judge all hit next to each other, and fans can’t wait to see what the three do next.

What’s more, this may just be the start of the fun. Luis Severino, the electric strikeout artist who can live in the high-90’s, has had a brutal season but is just 22-years-old and flashes top of the rotation upside when on. Five-tool outfielder Clint Frazier is in Triple-A and may be knocking on the door to the big leagues by September, and there are dominant minor league relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Ben Heller who came along with Frazier from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade. Heller has already spent a couple of days with the big league team, and Feyereisen isn’t far from a call-up either.

Today, fans aren’t rooting for a boring team lacking a purpose. The franchise has been given a direction, while also revitalizing the roster with head-turning talent and new hope. Rooting for the Yankees is fun, but rooting for the Yankees while simultaneously cheering on and welcoming the future is even better. This horde of top prospects will not only be exciting to watch, but they can instantly improve the Yankees and allow the team to power through the dreary times of August. Perhaps they aren’t a playoff team, but the Yankees’ young nucleus is slowly but surely rising to the big leagues and can immediately help the club out. Even if there are some bumps in the road, you can be sure the Yankees will no longer be boring.

Photos: Adam Hunger; Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

Yankees starters have had some struggle filling up innings lately, exposing the thin middle relief corps of the bullpen. So, even beyond the injury concerns, Nathan Eovaldi’s exit following a 12-pitch, 1-2-3 inning in the first was the team’s worst nightmare. Yet somehow, this thin and always-changing bullpen pulled through, limiting a high-powered Red Sox offense to four runs over eight innings. Newly-minted Yankees Tommy Layne and Blake Parker were responsible for three of those runs, with Chasen Shreve allowing the fourth, but Nick Goody, Tyler Clippard, and Adam Warren all turned in scoreless performances. Thrust into a bad situation with a squad largely devoid of talent, the Yankees’ bullpen buckled down and gave the offense a chance to win…

…and that’s exactly what happened. Didi Gregorius gave the team their first run on his 14th home run of the season in the fifth inning, setting the team up for a huge seventh inning that won’t soon be forgotten. It started with, of course, a Gregorius single, a Sanchez single, and a Romine single to score Gregorius. Three batters later (including an Alex Rodriguez pinch-hit flyout) Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Chase Headley singled, and Mark Teixeira walked to tie the game at four. Starlin Castro came to the plate, and on the first pitch of the at bat laced a two-run double to left field.

A five-run seventh was followed up by a two-run eighth, punctuated by a massive home run by Gary Sanchez, the first of his major league career. Two walks and a single, plus two wild pitches, scored an additional pair of runs, making it 8-4.

This should be an uplifting, gritty, and exciting win for the Yankees, but after the game we’ll be reminded of Nathan Eovaldi’s injury. He exited with elbow discomfort after showing diminished velocity in the first inning, and the situation is even more frightening given the fact that he missed all of September last season with elbow inflammation. More information should come out over the next two days, but Eovaldi could be headed for another lengthy DL stint.

The Play: Starlin Castro doubles in two (+.285 WPA)

Undoubtedly the biggest play of the game, Starlin Castro broke the tie with a huge double to score two. Given the uncertain circumstances surrounding the Yankees’ torn apart bullpen, a tie game was far from comforting for New York. On the other hand, a two-run lead felt much better. Castro hasn’t had the greatest season, but he came in the clutch here.

Top Performers

Yankees: Gary Sanchez (3-4, HR, 2 R, 1 RBI)

Red Sox: Sandy Leon (2-3, 2 R, BB)

The Highlight: Gary Sanchez’s first home run

Although it didn’t drastically change the course of this game, who could possibly not smile when Gary Sanchez went deep for his first home run of his major league career. Sanchez has had plenty of his ups and downs as a prospect, but things have come together over the past two seasons and Sanchez’s huge power has showed up in the majors in his short time in the majors this season. This 426-foot blast proved that point.

Up Next

The Yankees will close out the Boston series with Michael Pineda (5.17 ERA) facing Eduardo Rodriguez (5.93 ERA). Rodriguez will start in place of knuckleballer Steven Wright, who was scratched with a shoulder injury. Barring any further weirdness, Alex Rodriguez should start in his second-to-last game as a Yankee.

Source: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

• Home run
• Single
• Single
• Walk
• Single

Some how, some way, Green escaped with just two runs allowed. Yes, despite bases loaded and no outs, the righty managed to strike out Michael Conforto and induce a double play off the bat of Wilmer Flores. Still, it was 2-0 against a very good starter in Steven Matz.

Naturally, the Yankees struck right back with three of their own. Rob Refsnyder singled, Mark Teixeira walked, and Chase Headley doubled both of them in. A double from Didi Gregorius scored Headley, and it was 3-2 Yankees.

The Mets, not to be outdone, started the next inning with a double, an RBI single, a walk, and…another double play that allowed Green to leave with just one more run to his credit. A tie game is to be avoided, though, so in the next half inning Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Refsnyder did the same, and Teixeira went opposite field into the right field bleachers for a three-run home run. Now, it was the Yankees’ turn to shine.

Three disturbingly uneventful innings followed, but the silence was broken when Teixeira was plunked on the knee and gave Steven Matz the most terrifying death stare a man that frequently eats kale could possibly give.

Thankfully for all of us, Teixeira wasn’t done. He would wreak havoc after walking in the bottom of the seventh inning, after apparently stealing Rene Rivera’s signs (though, according to Teixeira, he was just playing mindgames. Seriously). Hansel Robles was thrown out of sync, and a five minute at bat (with just six pitches thrown) to Starlin Castro followed, with Robles and Rivera meeting once (or more) between just about every pitch. I would post the highlight here, but trust me, watching five minutes of that at bat simply isn’t worth it.

After that unique conflict, the game was all but over. Castro singled in Aaron Hicks, and a Gregorius walk brought in Teixeira to make the game 9-4. Underappreciated in this wild game will be Luis Severino’s dominant relief showing, in which he allowed just two baserunners over 4.1 innings, striking out five with one unearned run. This performance, in which Severino looked as electric as ever, should be enough to earn a rotation spot in Green’s place.

The Play: Mark Teixeira hits a three-run home run

Undoubtedly the hero the night, Teixeira made his biggest impact in the second inning when he drove in Ellsbury and Refsnyder with an opposite field shot. He would break the tie, making it 6-3 to give the Yankees a lead they would not surrender.

Top Performers

Yankees: Mark Teixeira (1-1, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB)

Mets: James Loney (2-4, 2 RBI)

The Highlight: Mark Teixeira gives an interview

I mean, come on. This is great.

Up Next

The Yankees will look for a series win on Thursday, with Nathan Eovaldi (4.78 ERA) facing off against Bartolo Colon (3.58 ERA). In a battle of polar opposites, the Yankees will hope their flamethrower can outduel the Mets’ finesse starter.

Source: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

This collective understanding didn’t make the loss string any less. The Yankees’ ace, the pitcher who they can count on to toe the rubber on every fifth day (or, even better, every sixth day) and cruise the team to a victory, came out of the gate limping. Masahiro Tanaka’s stuff wasn’t quite as sharp as usual, his command a tad off, and, as a result, he didn’t put up the expected results.

For just the fifth time all season, Tanaka yielded over three runs (four, in this start). Two came from a Colby Rasmus home run, and two from singles via Carlos Correa and Carlos Gomez. The Yankees’ offense sputtered, first thrown into fits by Lance McCullers’ dominant curveball (he struck out ten in six frames) and then shut down by the bullpen.

The Yankees ‘pen was solid as well, but the quality results didn’t come from the usual suspects. Instead, the final three innings were guided by Adam Warren (one inning, one hit) and Luis Severino (two innings, one walk). Both looked good, though Warren was bailed out by Brian McCann, who caught Jake Marisnick trying to steal third.

The lone run of the evening was by way of Brian McCann, who crushed a pitch over Tal’s Hill for a solo home run. The rest of the offense managed just seven baserunners and looked relatively hopeless against Astros pitchers.

The Play: Carlos Gomez singles in Preston Tucker (+.129 WPA)

Believe it or not, walking two straight batters is a terrible idea. Tanaka would learn that the hard way, when walks to Preston Tucker and Alex Bregman set the table for a Carlos Gomez single, scoring Tucker. It the Astros up 1-0 and gave them a lead they would not surrender.

Top Performers

Yankees: Brian McCann (1-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 K)

Astros: Colby Rasmus (1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 K)

The Highlight: Brian McCann hits a home run

Minute Maid Park is considered to be a hitter’s haven, so home runs don’t need to be hit overly far to find the seats. Well, unless we’re talking about centerfield, where balls hit over Tal’s Hill need to be crushed to make it out. Brian McCann did just that on a 429 foot solo shot, his 15th on the year.

Next Up

The Yankees will have a off day on Thursday before making their way to Tampa Bay on Friday. Things will start off with Ivan Nova (4.65 ERA) taking the mound against Jake Odorizzi (4.10 ERA). The Rays are in the AL East cellar, so this should be an easier series before the Yankees have to face some very good teams in August.

Photo: Troy Taormina / USA Today Sports; Video: MLBAM

According to the box score, the loss can be directly attributed to yet another rough outing from CC Sabathia. While he technically was responsible for the four earned runs allowed 6.2 innings, the veteran didn’t pitch poorly. He allowed seven hits (and a walk), but a number of those hits were either weakly struck or infield singles. Sabathia didn’t exactly have his strikeout stuff working, but the Orioles didn’t make much hard contract against him.

Instead, the blame for this loss should be shifted toward the offense. The Yankees managed just five hits (and two walks) the entire game, also unable to cash in on the few opportunities they created. The only run came on a Starlin Castro single following a Didi Gregorius double in the second inning, and other than that the Yankees pushed a runner into scoring position just once (in the first inning).

One of the few bright spots of the afternoon came from the glove of Starlin Castro, who made a number of very good plays at second base. He hasn’t been great in the field so far this season (-2.0 FRAA), and it seemed like the former shortstop came close to making a number of good plays, but never really executed. On Thursday, though, he was able to succeed on all the challenging plays.

The Play: Jonathan Schoop doubles in two (+.203 WPA)

As great as Carlos Beltran has been this season at the plate, he never fails to remind us why designated hitter should be his full-time position. Thursday’s reminder came when Jonathan Schoop doubled to right field, and Beltran’s slow legs allowed both runners (from first and second) to score. Given the Orioles’ stout bullpen, the game was effectively ended when Baltimore’s lead was extended from one run to three.

Top Performers

Yankees: Starlin Castro (1-3, RBI, K)

Orioles: Jonathan Schoop (2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI)

The Highlight: Starlin Castro makes (another) nice play

There were three Starlin Castro plays to choose from here, but I went with this smooth play because…well, it was pretty. It wasn’t exactly a game changing moment, but sums up Castro’s day nicely: he made all the routine plays, and all the hard plays, too.

Up Next

After a series win against the Orioles, the Yankees get to face one of the best teams in baseball in the Giants. They’ll be sending out Madison Bumgarner (2.12 ERA), Jeff Samardzija (4.04 ERA), and Johnny Cueto (2.64 ERA) in what could be a tough weekend for offense. Masahiro Tanaka will draw the start on five days rest Friday, followed by Ivan Nova and Nathan Eovaldi on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Photo: Anthony Grupposo/USA Today Sports