"We know we're better than this'' says Aaron Boone as Yankees month-long slide continues

NEW YORK – With all that traffic on the bases, the Yankees were still blanked through the first six innings Sunday afternoon.

They stranded eight baserunners, six of them in scoring position, through the fourth inning. And when they scored it was because – who else? – Aaron Judge and Juan Soto delivered.

“This game is hard for us right now,’’ said manager Aaron Boone, following the Tampa Bay Rays’ 6-4 win at Yankee Stadium. “We know we’re better than this.’’

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Tossed from Sunday’s game for defending/protecting Alex Verdugo – now 0-for-19- after a called third strike, Boone was still even-tempered as he referred to the Yanks’ 20 losses in their last 29 games.

“This is about a month where we’ve struggled winning ballgames, and we’ve got to find a way right now.’’

If any tables are being turned over, maybe it’s in the front office war room.

MLB’s July 30 trade deadline is looming, and the Yankees need more than just bullpen help to jumpstart a lineup that – as Luis Severino recently suggested – isn’t causing much fright outside of Soto and Judge.

And maybe it means taking a deeper look at the starting pitching market, another area that's been lacking since mid-June.

On Sunday, the Yankees' (59-42) attempt to split a four-game set with the Rays (50-49) begins with Carlos Rodon, 0-5 in his last six starts with a 9.67 ERA.

Alex Verdugo "being tested right now''

Oswaldo Cabrera (2-for-4, stolen base) subbed for the slumping DJ LeMahieu – in a 0-for-17 slide – and Cabrera is likely to be in Monday’s lineup too.

There are no ready replacements for Verdugo, dropped from the cleanup spot and spiraling since a three-hit game June 14 at Boston, the high point before the Yanks’ 9-20 slide.

Yet, having cleaned up some swing mechanics, “it felt like I was not trying to press for a result,’’ said Verdugo, who lined out hard to end the first inning, leaving the bases loaded (after Gleyber Torres, 0-for-4, had a shallow flyout).

“Kind of getting tested now, right?’’ said Verdugo. “It’s been a little bit of a struggle, but that’s what this is.’’

They kept the pressure on Rays’ starter Shane Baz in the second, when Soto swung 3-0 with the bases loaded, hit it hard, and grounded into an inning-ending DP.

Yankees failing to cash in opportunities

Unlike Saturday’s quiet 9-1 loss, Boone saw more chances and better at-bats, but “the name of the game is cashing in.

“It's kind of like football. I feel like we're stopping the run, we're getting third and long and we’ve just got to find a way to break through.’’

When they did, it was Judge launching a three-run homer to the left-center field bleachers 444 feet away, cutting the lead to 5-3 in the seventh.

Judge took his time around the bases, just as Randy Arozarena did leading off with a homer against Marcus Stroman (5.1 IP, 2 ER) and Jose Siri did in belting a two-run shot off Jake Cousins.

Michael Tonkin had been used Saturday in a 6-0 game, taking one of the trusted setup men out of play Sunday. Maybe that cost the Yanks, too, as they faced a three-run deficit in the ninth.

Soto doubled in a run against closer Pete Fairbanks, but there was no temptation to walk Judge intentionally to bring up the potential winning run.

Judge flied out, Austin Wells struck out, and the Yankees were turning another page.

“It’s definitely surprising,’’ Judge said of this stretch, “but we’ve got work to do. If what you’re doing isn’t working, you’ve got to try something new.’’

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: "We know we're better than this'' says Aaron Boone as Yankees month-long slide continues