Depleted just when they were getting ready to sweep the Red Sox.

"Friday, they began the most critical stretch of their season with a 4-0 loss to the Red Sox with a lineup you would most likely see in a spring training road game rather than a must-win, division game in July.

Instead of  Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Kyle Higashioka, Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta, who are on the COVID-19 injured list, the Yankees had Rougned Odor hitting third and Trey Amburgey playing right field and hitting eighth in his major league debut.

They have also lost Luke Voit for at least 10 days, not with COVID-19, but with a bone bruise on his surgically repaired left knee."

I'm not slagging on Kristie Ackert. This is just the reporting of pertinent facts.

But this Yankee team is gutless and mediocre and this is the second season in a row.

In general, it seems difficult for most observers to admit to the truth that is right in front of their eyes.

 

Sure, on this specific Friday, the starting lineup was comically inept, but it wasn't that much different than a typical Sunday lineup or a mid-week Getaway Day lineup.

It doesn't explain why the following Theoretical Super Stars ... LeMahieu, Stanton, Sanchez, Torres ... combined for one hit, one walk, and and six strikeouts against a lefty who's Boston's #5 starter and a bunch of no-name mop-up guys.

It doesn't explain why the Yankees are under .500 against lefty starters.

It doesn't explain the mediocrity in the 89 games they played before this game.

The Yankees are supposed to have more depth than this, for one thing. If Cashman made this team too top-heavy, and he has no mitigants for unexpected failures, then it's his fault.

But mostly, the players on the field are simply supposed to be better than this.

Now they have a COVID excuse and, based on what I've seen from this team, I think they'll jump right on it and ride it to fourth place in the AL East.

The whole narrative of the franchise needs a true do-over 1993-style.

This joyless burden of Championship expectations, while mostly PR, seems to be finally reaching critical mass. 

The Torre era is ancient history and, yeah, of course the players on those teams can serve as role models for the current Yankees, or any baseball team for that matter. But it's also a bit much to expect every AAA call up to have the leadership abilities of HOFer Derek Jeter.