The Yankees tried to temper the talk that they had finally come out of their slump, but the whacky, playoff-like win over the rival Mets was enough to at least give them the feeling that things were starting to turn around.
Andrew Benintendi had another clutch at-bat, Aaron Judge sent one into the stands for the second time this series, Frankie Montas finally started to look like the pitcher the Yanks had been hoping for and Clarke Schmidt and Wandy Peralta held off the Mets late in the game. Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Mets wasn’t pretty at times, but the third consecutive victory for the Bronx Bombers was exactly what the doctor had ordered.
“I don’t want to say (the slump is) over, but I look at (it) as we’re trying to put our best foot forward,” manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re trying to be the most complete team and right now we’re searching to kind of find some defined roles in our bullpen. As we look forward to getting some more guys back in the mix. It’s been a tough stretch. We’re grinding.
“I think these wins can go a long way in helping you build a little confidence and get that swagger back a little bit hopefully, but you never try and look at it as being too upset, too satisfied.”
The Yankees had been through a rough period since the All-Star break entering the series and they had only mustered consecutive wins just once in that span. They hadn’t won a series in the month of August until Tuesday when they completed the two-game sweep of the Mets.
And the once high-flying offense of the Yankees had gone stagnant during their stumble. However, the signs of life have started to shine through as the Bombers have scored a combined 12 runs over their last three games.
They hadn’t scored more than two runs since Aug. 13 against Boston and the Yankees felt like they had gotten a bit of their swagger back.
“I think we always had it,” said Judge who homered in consecutive games after going nine straight without a home run. “It’s tough to have a little bit of that swagger when you’re losing games or dropping series or not playing your brand of baseball. But I think the swagger has always been there. I think it just took a little reminder of who we are and what type of baseball we play.
“Going back to doing the basics and we got it back.”
The Yankees will hit the road now that the Subway Series is behind them. They’ll have the day off before battling the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays on a 10-game road trip.
It will further present the Yankees with a chance to get the ship back on course after a forgettable fall.
“I think this is the beginning of something good,” Schmidt said. “I think we’re really looking forward to our West Coast trip and being able to start it off well and continue this win streak.”
