What an absolutely insane weekend that was for the Yankees. Frustrating, stressful and ultimately exciting each night in Atlanta. The first series of the second half saw the Bombers battle a desperate Braves squad take two of three to kick off the sprint to the finish. Friday’s 7-3 loss felt like a tone setter as the Yanks were once again flat and didn’t wake up for most of Saturday when they were shutdown by Joey Wentz of all people. But then the bats woke up and they managed to comeback and win 12-9 Saturday night. They parlayed that momentum building win into a Sunday 4-2 victory to leave town on and head north. Let’s talk about the good and the bad from this series.

The Good

Clutch Hits: The Yankees, like most major league clubs, are hit and miss with runners in scoring position, even if it doesn’t feel that way. Case in point, Friday night they had runners on trying to stage a comeback but couldn’t quite land the plane. Saturday night they got every big hit they needed on route to a 12-9 win. Sometimes you need some luck, sometimes the rally needs to find the right guy, it right now it would just be nice if this group got hot. A couple of weeks of hot hitting would swing the AL East back in their favor, and the components are there. Judge, Jazz, and Bellinger are on fire, now they need Stanton and others to join in on the fun. If they do this offense will get back on track!

Stro Shows Up: Sunday was one of those games where the Yankees need their starter to show up and give them innings. For the second time in the last few weeks they unexpectedly got just what they needed from righty Marcus Stroman, who went six innings, allowing just one run with four K’s. It’s ironic that the unwanted “Stro Show” has come up big in two of his recent outings since his return from the IL. Even his loss at the Mets had more to do with the bad Yankee defense than just his pitching. I don’t know how long he can keep the up but for as long as Stroman is in the rotation he needs to at least give this team competitive outings, or not better.

The Bad

Will with no Thrill: For a while Will Warren became Will “the thrill” Warren following a string of starts where he really looked promising. I don’t mean to say that he’s lost that promise and isn’t the prospect we felt he was anymore, but it’s starting to feel like Warren needs a pause in the action. The 26 year old took the mound Saturday night in Atlanta and had the wheels come off in the 4th inning in one of the “blowup” innings that have derailed him before. It seems in those spots that things are happening too fast and they are often made worse by the Yankee defense being awful, as was the case on Saturday. Assuming he is here after the deadline, Warren has a nice future here, but I just think a stint back in the minors might sort him out in the meantime.

Groundhog Day: It’s really beyond words at this point for the Yankees and their defense. Two/three times a game this group makes boneheaded mistakes in the field or on the bases and it just causes things to get even worse for them. Friday night it was Jorbit Vivas getting thrown out at third on what albeit was an impressive throw from Ronald Acuna Jr. Saturday night it was a missed cut off, followed by no one knowing what base to cover or throw to leading to the fifth Atlanta run. As Erik Boland said above, it’s the often answered for by nonsensical lip service, and it’s exhausting.

Highlight of the Week

For the Lead: I readily admit I did not have Trent Grisham being a key cog in the machine for the Yankees in 2025. He has really been a great contributor this season and without him I’m not sure if they’d be where they are as his clutch hits and defense are needed for a team that lacks both. He’ll never quote be a regular for them, but he’s a good platoon option and defensive caddy.

What’s Next

With the first series of the half behind them, the Yankees embark on a big week against the first rival Blue Jays and then the NL east leading Phillies. The first of which is on the road in Toronto before coming home to host Philly at the Stadium. They enter the series with the Jays three games back of them in the division, so it’s really a pivotal set. The rumor mill is alight with links between the Bombers and several top targets on the trade market, so fingers crossed for some movement!

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.