The Yankees are running out of gas at the worst time

OAKLAND, Calif. – The safety net, so to speak, remains tense.

But the Yankees seem determined to test it, is not it?

The best thing you can say about the Yankees' trip to Northern California is that it could have been even worse. However, he could not come to a worse conclusion, with this disastrous and alarming 8-2 defeat against the A on Wednesday night at the Oakland Coliseum, during which their titular and former catcher at the stud fought hard at the start of the season. match. Goat horns.

Is there a less desirable feeling for a baseball team than running in September? The Yankees have now lost two games and equalized one of their last three series, recording a 4-6 record at a time when they were hoping to skyrocket.

"I want to ride, no question," said Aaron Boone. "I think we do things well, but we certainly do not ride like we are able to … If we want to get where we want to go, we have to play better, quite simply."

Because they triumphed in the middle of Tuesday's game, a 5-1 triumph fueled by Luke Voit and JA's strikes. The pitch of Happ, the Yankees (87-53) head to Seattle with a respectable 3 ½ lead games, four in the column of defeats, against A (84-57). Yet, there is little doubt as to which of these clubs is the growing stock and the falling entity, and it would not surprise anyone if the gap was decreasing instead of growing as we progressed.

Look, maybe Didi Gregorius, cured, will join the team this weekend at Safeco Field, and Aaron Judge will strengthen his right wrist enough, and this club will recover the magic that made it such a dynamic in the first half of the season. Very strange reversals took place. At this point, however, you would bet more heavily on Boone's maiden voyage that ended in a disappointment of 100 wins.

That's largely thanks to starter and loser Wednesday night, Luis Severino, and his fellow drummer, Gary Sanchez, who turned the first run into the worst pair since Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone in "The Specialist ". like two wild throws, two-pass balls, double-doubles, two-monkey bombers that the Yankees have endured? Severino and Sanchez seemed more out of sync than AOL and Time Warner while A had taken a 4-0 lead.

"It was a mess," acknowledged Severino, before offering this surprising explanation: "I was working with [Austin] Romine for a long time and we use different signs.

It's not like Severino and Sanchez have been working together for years. More than six weeks.

The confusion between the two questions asked in advance is as follows: Severino, his ERA goes to 3.52 with his two-sleeve out of 2 ² / ₃, always the man you want to start playing ? And Sanchez, his defense as bad as ever and his bat generally lukewarm, would they remain the first receivers of the Yankees?

If the generic card game had been played today, I would combine Severino with Romine, thanks to Severino's top ceiling at J.A. Happ's and Romine's reliability in defense. You could convince me to go with Happ, though. Sanchez? Well, it does not matter that Boone congratulated his receiver for having "reinserted" after the first one.

They are not the kind of decisions that a playoff team wants to consider. Again, this is not the kind of baseball a playoff club wants to play.

With the critical time here, can the Yankees get ahead of the A to avoid a comeback here for this match on October 3rd? Their schedule – and their league – could very well bail them out. Of the remaining 22 games, nine are against clubs (three with the Twins, Blue Jays and Orioles), three against relentless Mariners this weekend at Safeco Field, four with the dangerous Rays and six with the Red Elite Sox. who, ironically, could rest and prepare for the playoffs at that time, the division and the seed could be engaged.

Eventually, whether it's next month or later, the Yankees will perform live without a net. Do you anticipate this scenario or do you fear it?

At this moment, is it even a close call?