It’s an off day for the Yanks as they return from their 6-3 west coast trip to take the Guardians and Red Sox this week. The much talked about rematch with the Dodgers is in the rear view mirror and the Yanks lost two of three. We previewed this series with interest last week, curious about what we might learn from these three games as the Yankees roll into June. In truth, we didn’t learn much, but today’s edition of The Beat is going to cover some of the takeaways from the three games in Hollywood and look ahead to a week at home.

That’s Baseball Suzyn: At least to quote John Sterling this game really is a funny sometimes. The Yankees and Dodgers sent two aces to the mound this weekend and both got shelled. Meanwhile Landon Knack, Tony Gonsolin and Ryan Yarbrough got the wins in this weekend set, just the way the experts drew it up. AL Cy Young candidate Max Fried and red hot Will Warren were shelled Friday and Saturday, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked very human Sunday night. There was a lot of overreaction to all of that and honestly it’s silly. If the Yankees are Dodgers the kryptonite of their respective aces, that’s not a worry until maybe October. Ugly games happen to teams, ask the Phillies whose top end rotation was outscored 28-11 by the lowly Brewers this weekend. It’s all one bite of a 162 game pie, with each inning and game being a piece of the tale.

Dodgers Bats are better…for now: LA flat out brought the sticks to the ballpark this weekend. The big guns flexed their muscle in this series, especially since Friday and Saturday. Anything in the zone was hit hard and the depth and quality of their lineup was on full display. We’ve talked a lot about the Yankee lineup being much deeper this year, and while that isn’t undone this weekend, as it in fact showed those qualities Friday and Sunday, but the games showed there is still work to do. The Bombers need another righty bat in the infield, and a return to health for Giancarlo Stanton as well as Jazz Chisholm who should be back this week. The trade deadline is 61 days away, so Brian Cashman needs to work some magic in conjunction with these returns.

Ryan Needs a Role?: I mentioned him last week, but Ryan Yarbrough was so good again Sunday he needs to make a return to this series. The wily vet improved his record to 3-0, allowing just one run over six innings and striking out five, lowering his ERA to 2.83. At the very minimum he’s provided this team with solid innings in the pen and in the rotation amidst an array of injuries. Is he going to pitch like a front line pitcher the rest of the year? Unlikely given his track record, but there is definitely a role for him on this squad. I see him cast in the classic Ramiro Mendoza “swing guy” role in the Yankee pen. Assuming he isn’t squeezed off the roster, there is room for him to play a part deep into the playoffs for this group.

Deadline Season: As I mentioned above, the trade deadline is 61 days away! The Yankees have a few obvious needs across the roster to try and improve the team. Yes the return to health of certain players will be key for this group, but that doesn’t cancel out the need to improve with outside help. In my estimation the Yankees will be in the market for a starting pitcher, a right handed hitting infielder, and maybe one more bullpen arm. It’s hard to single out right now just who their targets should be, as the market place is still evolving. The sellers aren’t fully revealed yet, frankly those classifications keep changing by the day. We wouldn’t have had the D Backs down as sellers but now Corbin Burnes is likely done for the season, and the team is already struggling. Maybe Zack Gallen, Merrill Kelly, AJ Puk and Eugenio Suarez emerge as options in the rental market. If they do, they would fill the Yankees needs, but they would do that for several other teams too. It’s out for character for Cashman, but I’d love to see him move fast and set the market rather than sit on these deals.

The Yanks will keep the rematch theme going Tuesday when they host the Guardians, who they knocked out last year in the ALCS. Cleveland is 32-26, scrappy as usual, but six games behind the central leading Tigers which puts them atop the Wild Card standings. They once again bring the most unheralded great player in our game, Jose Ramirez, to the Bronx this week, which is always a treat to watch.

After Cleveland, the Yankees see the Red Sox for the first time this year over weekend. A Friday to Sunday set in the Bronx used to the everyone fired up 15 years ago but it’s yet another year where it feels like the teams are in opposite directions. The Sox have underwhelmed so far at 29-32, 8.5 games adrift of the Yankees in the East and 3.5 of the Wild Card. This a real chance for the Yankees to bury Boston, and they need to take full advantage of it!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.