Yankees Hold Playoff Lead Despite Bumpy Road Trip Through the Midwest

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees returned from a six-game road trip to Cleveland and Detroit having lost four of those games, and by most measures it was an ugly stretch — the lineup went cold, the bullpen struggled, and Aaron Judge, nursing a strained quadriceps, did not make the trip.

Yet the Yankees landed at Newark Liberty on Monday still holding a 2.5-game lead in the American League East over the Baltimore Orioles, a piece of good fortune attributable to Baltimore’s own difficulties. The Orioles went 2–4 during the same stretch, maintaining New York’s cushion despite the struggles.

The rotation deserves primary credit for keeping the Yankees afloat. Gerrit Cole, now 36, threw consecutive quality starts in Cleveland, giving up a combined four earned runs across 13 innings. His ability to minimize damage in a stretch where the offense generated fewer than three runs per game is the kind of veteran performance that separates division contenders from teams that fold under adversity.

Judge is expected to return for the home series against Boston that begins Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. His timeline has been described as “week to week” by the team’s medical staff, but multiple league sources said after the team’s return that Judge is pushing to play sooner than the official estimate suggests.

The Yankees’ offensive struggles during the road trip were concentrated in their middle lineup. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton went a combined 4-for-44 over the six-game stretch with no home runs.

Manager Aaron Boone said after the team’s return that the road trip had been a wake-up call but that he was not alarmed. “We know what this team is capable of,” Boone told reporters. “The division is ours to lose, and we’re not going to give it away.”