Just as it looked as if the New York Yankees had gotten right after a brutal summer stretch following sweeps of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays, the club has reverted to its frustrating ways in a pivotal weekend series against the arch-rival Boston Red Sox.
After dropping the first two games of the four-game set at home against Boston, New York has fallen to 34-37 since June 1, and has now sunk all the way down to third place in the AL East.
The biggest issues during this prolonged slumber have been a lack of execution on the fundamentals in the field and on the basepaths, low-energy performances, and bullpen volatility that has been exacerbated by managerial decisions.