The New York Yankees have been in a major funk lately, losing 10 of their last 12 games and 13 of their last 17.
The Yankees' offense, which is missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, has been the main reason for their rut, averaging just 2.95 runs per game over their last 19. Their defense has been atrocious as well, committing far too many errors and allowing too many unearned runs.
New York's lineup let them down again in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite managing four runs on 11 hits, the Yankees struck out a whopping 17 times and didn't draw any walks.
Seven of New York's nine starters whiffed at least once, with six fanning multiple times. Paul Goldschmidt and Jose Caballero both struck out four times apiece.
The Yankees whiffed 17 times during Monday's 5-1 win over the Rays as well. Their 34 strikeouts over a two-game stretch are the most in team history.
Surprisingly, Tampa Bay's pitching staff has one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball, ranking 21st in MLB with an 8.2 K/9.
If New York wants to get back on track, it needs to start making more contact and putting the ball in play more. It also needs to play better defense, but that's a separate issue.