Yankees have no answer for Jays as Bombers Slip to .500

 BLUE JAYS 2 - YANKEES 1 

Coming off a dispiriting 12-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night - a game that could easily be considered the worst loss of the season as the Yankees bullpen couldn't hold a 6-2 lead as late as the sixth inning, the Yankees had nothing in the tank on Tuesday night. 

Even an edict by General Manager Brian Cashman wasn't enough to keep the Yankees from dropping their 15th game in their last 20 to fall to .500 at 21-21. The Yankees mustered only five hits on Tuesday, and one extra base hit - a double by Miguel Andujar, and were a combined 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

The only run to score on Tuesday came on a sac fly by Mike Tauchman, who has really struggled in his own right, with his batting average dipping to .238. And to think that is actually a good batting average on this Yankees squad. 

All of this against Taijuan Walker, who isn't to be confused with some of the best starters in the game. He's ok - average at best. But on Tuesday, he and four relievers looked untouchable.

Before the game, Cashman told the team that "talk is cheap and all that matters is performance," adding that he wanted to remind them of "who they are." 

"Who they are" is pretty simple -- a bad baseball team. 

And bad baseball teams have little self confidence. Bad baseball teams find ways to lose at a moments notice. Bad baseball teams are poorly managed. Bad baseball teams can't hit. Bad baseball teams can't pitch when they need to the most. 

What made Tuesday's 2-1 loss even more disappointing was the fact the Yankees actually got a solid outing of JA Happ, who tossed six innings of two run ball, while striking out 10. He wound up taking the loss when he most certainly could have walked away a winner had the Yankees managed any offense. 

Meanwhile, the Yankees still can't get the hitters they need to hit to live up to their resume. Gleyber Torres went 0-for-3 and his hitting .225. Bret Gardner is hitting .170. Gary Sanchez - the face of the Yankees struggles and the ire of Yankees fans, went 0-for-4 on Tuesday, and he is now hitting .125. Ouch. 

To make matters worse for New York, the Baltimore Orioles continue to close the gap on them for the final playoff spot in the American League. The Orioles destroyed the Mets 11-2 Tuesday at Citi Field, meaning they are only a half game behind the Yankees. The Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners are also in the mix. 

Changes are definitely coming for the Yankees if things do not get any better. The seat under Manager Aaron Boone is going to get warmer -- even if he can lean on COVID-19, and injuries to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as excuses. The facts are this is basically the same Yankees team that we saw dominate teams even dispite injury just a year ago. 

This team has lost its swagger, its confidence and its belief it can dominate opponents. For the first time in a very long time the Yankees are just like everyone else in Major League Baseball - average.