Aaron Judge: Yankees Need To 'simplify Some Things At The Plate' To Overcome Offensive Woes

It's been a frustrating past five days for the Yankees, who have not only dropped all five of their games, but have also scored a combined 13 runs (2.6 runs per game).

In Sunday's 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay, which secured a three-game sweep for the Rays, the Yankees scored four runs, but two came two came in the ninth inning, and it was too little, too late.

And while it's still early, sure, and the Yankees are still over .500 at 8-7, offensive inconsistency has been a trend.

"Guys are having some tough at-bats, but I think we just need to simplify some things at the plate," said Aaron Judge, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth but is still hitting at just a .218 clip for the season. "We’re trying to hit every single pitch we see up there and kind of getting ourselves in some bad counts and some bad situations. So I just think as a group, we simplify some things and refine our approach a little bit, hunt the pitch that we’re looking for and kind of pass the baton, and I think we’ll be in a better spot. 

"It’s tough, but it’s our job. We’ve got to go out there and take care of business."

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen allowed just one Yankees hit, a Jazz Chisholm Jr. double, over his 6.0 shutout innings, striking out seven Yankees without a walk. 

"He’s a good pitcher, mixes up his cutter shape, plays with his slider shape," said Ryan McMahon, who went 1-for-4. "It’s good stuff, so sometimes you’ve gotta just tip your cap. He had good stuff today and we weren’t able to figure him out."

It's no secret that McMahon has been struggling in a big way this season, as he's now hitting .114 on the campaign. Despite all the Yankees' issues on Sunday, McMahon had a chance to tie the game with a runner on third and two outs, but he grounded out to first base on one pitch to end the game.

McMahon said that he's "working every single day" to get on the right track, and he's not concerned with the team's early offensive problems.

"I hate to use this cliché, but literally that’s baseball," he said. "We’re going to get going, we’re not worried about it. We’ve just go to start doing it."

And the Yankees' captain shared a similar statement, saying the Yankees need to flush this game immediately as they head back home for the start of a seven-game homestand, which starts on Monday night with the first of four against the Los Angeles Angeles.

"It’s baseball. We’ve just got to show up the next day and re-right the ship," Judge said. "You’ve got to have a short memory and move on to the next one. It’s tough, but that game’s over with. Move on to the next one."