LOS ANGELES — Some of the reasons the Yankees fell to 0-2 against the Dodgers were predictable.
Carlos Rodon has had some ups and downs this postseason, and it continued into Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday. At least a few Yankees players have struggled defensively all year, and those repeat offenders reappeared in Chavez Ravine this weekend. The regular season routinely featured poor performances from the bottom of New York’s lineup, and it was an issue in each of the first two games of the series.
But none of these factors are as glaring as the biggest one, which the Yankees seem unprepared to overcome.
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Aaron Judge got lost at the plate.
He strikes out more than he gets on base. He’s chasing pitches that normally fly out of the zone. He’s rocking back and forth in the batter’s box, which Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said means he’s trying to find a rhythm, much like he did during the record-breaking regular season. It wasn’t like I was standing there, frozen in place. He is making mistakes that would normally be punished with a home run.
Simply put, he’s not doing his job.
And when the Yankees are as desperate on offense as they were in the star-studded Fall Classic and one of the best hitters on the planet isn’t doing his job, the result is back-to-back losses against the elite Dodgers. A team that outperformed them in every aspect of the game.
“I definitely have to step up,” Judge said Saturday after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a 4-2 loss to the Yankees. “I have to do my job. When a player is on base and doing his job, I’m letting them down. I’m not going to support them. .”
The other two stars in the Yankees’ lineup had hits throughout October, making them virtually the only players to hit in the Fall Classic.
Juan Soto is locked into his bat. His solo shot in the third inning of Game 2 was the Yankees’ only hit from Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Soto’s liner that hit the right-field wall in the ninth inning was only New York’s second hit of the night, and soon after, Giancarlo Stanton hit a hard hit down the left field line, giving Soto his only extra run. .
Caught between two rockets? Judge struck out for the sixth time in the series.
Soto has four home runs, nine RBIs, and a 1.160 OPS through 11 games this postseason. Stanton has six home runs, 14 RBIs, and a 1.098 OPS. Judge, on the other hand, has a batting average of .150 (six hits in 40 at bats), 19 strikeouts, two home runs, six RBIs, and an OPS of .605.
“I think he made a mistake against me,” Soto said of playing against Yamamoto, who struck out Judge twice. “He threw some good pitches in his first at-bat, and he showed me everything. He was ready for whatever came his way at bat. He made mistakes and just didn’t let them pass.”
Always full of confidence, Soto seems to have it all figured out going into the playoffs. What is stopping Judge from achieving similar feats?
“He’s probably not feeling his best right now,” Soto said. “This is just a tough moment for him.”
The Yankees captain admitted he is expanding his strike zone, escaping the world-class bat discipline that has allowed him to surrender the most walks (133) in the major leagues this year. He added that his mechanics at the plate were “getting there,” and that the encouraging at-bats at the end of Game 1 didn’t translate into Game 2. Judge said the struggles he’s currently experiencing at the plate are “terrible.” It bears little resemblance to the struggle he faced in April. He had a slump that year, hitting .207/.340/.414 in his first 31 games.
But the difference this time of year is he doesn’t have the cushion of a long season to get his mechanics right. The judges must count every pitch Bronx makes, if not a big hit, then at least a walk. The presumptive AL MVP pointed out that Yamamoto gave him a pitch to hit in the sixth inning when Yamamoto was leading 2-0 in the count, when the Dodgers’ right-hander threw a fastball for him to hit.
It’s a pitch he would normally be able to connect with, Judge said. Instead, he rested the bat on his shoulder and watched it settle into a strike untouched.
“Sometimes you just want to try to make things happen instead of letting the game take over,” Judge said. “I think that’s the truth after all, Glaber, you know.” [Torres] Outside the bases, Juan is on base trying to make something happen. You can’t keep every pitch in the zone. So you have to take a walk and get ready for the big G [Stanton]. ”
Judges put a lot of pressure on themselves to win for their team. The six-time All-Star’s personal stats have never been an issue. What he cares about most is lifting the Yankees when they need it. And the team has relied on Judge throughout his career. While Soto and Stanton are doing their part, the judges still need to be the judges for the American League champions to become world champions.
“He has time to help us win some games,” Stanton said.
Of course, but not that much. Judge has to find a way to slow down the game so he can compress the zone and regain the discipline and power at the plate that makes him one of the greatest hitters of this generation.
After all, the Yankees can’t stand up without him.
Disha Tosar I’m an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Disha grew up on Long Island and currently lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter @DeeshaTosar.
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