Overview

• Sunday’s 7–1 loss to the Houston Astros dropped the Yankees to 62–56 and reduced their AL wild-card cushion to just a half game.
• Manager Aaron Boone’s fifth ejection of the season underscored growing criticism of his in-game decisions and clubhouse direction.
• Ace Max Fried surrendered four earned runs in five innings and admitted after the game that he needs to improve his command and ground-ball rate.
• Recent trade-deadline additions such as Amed Rosario and Austin Slater have landed on the injured list, compounding earlier season-ending losses including Gerrit Cole.
• Persistent bullpen failures, including uneven work from high-cost acquisitions and at-risk relievers like Mark Leiter Jr., have prevented New York from halting its midseason collapse.