The Yankees have officially hit one of those stretches where every run feels like it requires an act of Congress.
New York dropped its third straight game Saturday, falling 4-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and the biggest problem wasn’t hard to find. The Yankees managed just four hits — all singles — and have now scored only two runs over their last three games.
That’s not going to get it done. Not in August. Not with the standings tightening up. Not with a pitching staff doing enough to keep you in games.
Cam Schlittler deserved better.
The rookie right-hander gave the Yankees 5 1/3 strong innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven. He walked three, but worked around traffic and kept Toronto from putting together a big inning.
Schlittler left with the game tied 1-1. That’s about all you can ask from him.
The Yankees actually struck first in the second inning. Spencer Jones singled to center, stole second and came around to score when George Lombard Jr. lined an RBI single into left field.
Young guys creating the offense. Jones using his legs. Lombard putting the ball in play.
Then the bats disappeared.
One run, then nothing.
Toronto tied the game in the third on Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single, but from there Schlittler settled down and gave New York every opportunity to take control.
They never did.
From the third through the sixth inning, the Yankees didn’t record another hit. Luis Garcia Jr. finally singled in the seventh, but he was caught stealing before Jones struck out and Jazz Chisholm Jr. grounded out.
Another inning gone. Another opportunity wasted.
Toronto finally broke through against the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh. Ernie Clement singled off Brent Headrick, and Charles McAdoo followed with a double off the center-field wall to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead.
Tim Hill couldn’t keep it there in the eighth. Toronto added two more runs, including another RBI from McAdoo, turning a one-run game into a 4-1 deficit.
The lineup gave the pitching no margin for error.
Austin Wells singled in the eighth, but nothing came from it. Then Louis Varland made the ninth look painfully easy, striking out Ben Rice, Heliot Ramos and Garcia in order to end it.
Nine strikeouts. Four singles. Two walks. One run.
The Yankees are now 68-55, and the concern isn’t one bad offensive night. It’s three straight games of basically no offense.
Jones and Lombard provided the only run Saturday. Schlittler did his job. The rest of the lineup gave them almost nothing.
The Yankees don’t need everybody hitting home runs every night. They do need better at-bats, more traffic and somebody in the middle of this lineup to start driving the offense.
Because right now, scoring one run feels like climbing a mountain.
New York will try to avoid another loss Sunday with Ryan Weathers scheduled to face Dylan Cease in the series finale.
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