"There's definitely an end in sight" - Aaron Boone optimistic about Yankees returning to form despite demoralizing loss against Red Sox

New York Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, feels that his team is nearing the end of their worrying slump despite another demoralizing defeat against the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Boone feels that the Yankees are competing with their rivals even though the results have not gone their way, so he is confident that they will soon be able to end their extended run of poor results.

Aaron Boone is under intense scrutiny from the fans, who are quite disillusioned with the current state of the team. The Yankees were one of the best teams in the MLB after an outstanding opening two and a half months into the season. However, they have only managed a 10-22 record since June 15 and have lost four of the past five games after getting swept at home by the New York Mets earlier this week.

On Friday night, the Yankees were beaten 9-7 by the Red Sox at Fenway Park despite having a three-run lead after seven innings. Talking to reporters after the game, Boone said that the team is going through a deep testing period, yet he feels the players have the character that is needed to bounce back from their slump.

Boone said:

"We're in compete mode, and I think we competed well tonight. Not good enough because we need to fill up the win column. I've said this a lot. This is when you find out a lot about your team, a lot about your individual players, and when you go through it, who is tough enough to withstand it, and we will. But this is absolutely gut-check time in our season."

"There's definitely an end in sight, and we're going to get there," he added.

The Yankees will face the Red Sox again on Saturday for the second encounter of a three-game series between the division rivals.

Aaron Boone defends pitching staff after another poor show

Aaron Boone defended the performance of Clay Holmes against the Red Sox (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Yankees starter Nestor Cortes Jr. lasted just 4.2 innings after giving up four earned runs from nine hits and two walks on Friday. Cortes now has a 6.18 ERA on the road for the 2024 season, which is the highest among all MLB pitchers with at least 50.0 IP.

Later, the Yankees bullpen gave up five unanswered runs during the game, with their closer Clay Holmes recording another blown save. Aaron Boone stood up for the 31-year-old reliever, who had not given up an earned run through his first 20 outings. But Holmes has a 5.40 ERA since May 20, with his opponents batting .306 against him with a .802 OPS.

"Tonight they squared him up," Aaron Boone said. "And we have not seen a lot of that. Obviously, I bring him in the eighth inning, and it's as tough a situation as you are going to be in. I thought tonight maybe his sinker was east to west a little bit. That hurt him against the lefties there, and they really squared him up."

Following their latest defeat, the Bronx Bombers have a 60-45 record for the season and lie two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in second place in the American League East.