The New York Yankees currently sit in a 2-1 deficit against the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Fingers have pointed toward several moves by Aaron Boone or mishaps from the pitching staff, but they are not the issues. The issue lies in the team’s anemic offense in Game Two and Game Three. The Yankee offense has fueled the team all season long, and that remains the case in the ALCS.
Inside The Numbers
The Yankees won Game One 7-0 and yet they have three runs since then. Part of the reason issue certainly lies in the pitching matchups; Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole have been two of the best pitchers in baseball in 2019.
That being said, they did not look invincible in their starts. The Yankees were able to generate traffic on the bases in both games, with 16 base runners against them, but they were still unable to capitalize on these opportunities.
The Yankees have allowed seven runs in those two games. That should be more than enough support from the pitching staff to win. This is especially true when considering that the Yankees led the league in runs scored (943), was second in the league in home runs (306), and was third int he league in OPS (.829). Again, it should have been enough, but it was not.
Struggling Sluggers
Encarnacion
A major factor to the Yankees offense, Edwin Encarnacion has gone ice cold after showing little rust against the Minnesota Twins. Encarnacion did not record his first hit of the series until his final at bat in Game Three.
Encarnacion is known for providing professional at bat, but has failed to do so in this series. In 14 plate appearances, he has six strikeouts during this series, and he has only reached base three times. Encarnacion has been hitting in the middle of the order, but he will need to drastically step his game up if the Yankees want to score the runs needed to get back in this series.
Sanchez
Gary Sanchez, like Encarnacion, has enough power to strike fear in the opposition. Additionally, he is also struggling. In 13 plate appearances, he has one hit, none since Game One, and zero walks. He has also struck out six times in that span.
Another issue with both Sanchez and Encarnacion has been their tendencies to expand the zone in this series. Both have lacked plate discipline, swinging at pitches high and outside the strike zone in their at bats.
Gardner
After a career year, Brett Gardner is another member of Yankee offense that is not getting the job done. He had two hits in Game Two, but he has not reached base in any other time at bat in the series. He also has five strikeouts in the series.
All three of these men had an OPS ranging from .829-.875 in the regular season. They combined for 96 home runs and 237 RBI. That is one third of the Yankee offense, that produced big offensive numbers in the regular season, going dormant.
Looking Forward
When facing a starting rotation that is headlined by three of the best pitchers in MLB with Verlander, Cole, and Zack Greinke, offensive struggles are expected. That being said, the Yankees were able to score seven runs in Game One, including three off of Greinke.
They have managed to put base runners on against Verlander and Cole, which is something not many teams were able to do considering Verlander had a WHIP of 0.803 and Cole 0.895. Despite that they have not gotten the job done, only scoring three runs in those games. The pitching has been good, executing when needed. The offense will need to do the same in order for the Yankees to win this series.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
