Paul Goldschmidt had one of just three Yankees hits in Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the A’s, but that didn’t stop him from sharing some self-depreciation after the game.
“I have not played well for the last few weeks, maybe even this whole month,” the 15-year-veteran said. “That’s hurt our team the way I’ve played this month.”
Goldschmidt’s criticism came after he snapped an 0-for-20 streak with a 104.3-mph, sixth-inning single off JP Sears. However, the first baseman went 1-for-4 in the game, which featured a listless lineup, giving him a .143 average and a .447 OPS over his last 24 contests.
That slump included just four extra-base hits, two homers and four RBI, as well as seven walks and 22 strikeouts.
“I feel like his at-bats have been closer or similar. Just not finishing off some at-bats or getting some results,” Aaron Boone said, noting Goldschmidt has just missed on some flyballs. “So I don’t feel like he’s been that far off. There’s been a little bit swing and miss in there. But I don’t feel like it’s far off to when he was really rolling. Hopefully, just a little bit of a downturn, which is inevitable.”
Goldschmidt’s recent performance has been a steep departure from his introduction to the Yankees, which saw him hit .343 with a .902 OPS over his first 56 games this season. That stretch included more slug — Goldschmidt had 13 doubles, six homers and 28 RBI — and he was hitting for contact at such a high clip that fans were making joking comparisons to Luis Arraez and Tony Gwynn.
It could just be that Goldschmidt, who has been much worse against righties, is falling back to earth after benefiting from a .389 batting average on balls in play over those initial 56 games.
Now 37, the former Cardinal is three years removed from winning an MVP Award but is coming off the worst season of his career. Entering Sunday, Goldschmidt’s average exit was down to 89.8 mph, while his Hard-Hit rate was at 41.3%. Those would be career-lows over a full season. He’s barreling balls less often than he did last year as well.
Despite Goldschmidt’s struggles, Boone doesn’t believe he’s doing anything different mechanically. Goldschmidt, meanwhile, said that he feels good and that he’s working to see if there are adjustments he can make as other hitters scuffle around him.
WELLS DISAPPOINTING AS WELL
Even though JC Escarra returned from paternity leave on Sunday and Ben Rice had not caught Marcus Stroman since spring training, the Yankees gave the latter his second start behind the plate in three games for their finale against the A’s.
Boone said that Escarra got into New York late on Saturday night — his wife and newborn son are doing well — so the skipper didn’t want to rush the catcher into the lineup. But the decision to start Rice was notable with Austin Wells hitting .150 with just one extra-base hit, a double, over his last 12 games.
On Saturday, Boone said Wells’ timing has been off, preventing the backstop from getting his best swing off.
“I feel like he’s been kind of in between,” Boone said. “Out in front of a lot of secondary [stuff] or changeups. I’m not going to get too wonky and into the weeds with you from what I see.”
Wells has 11 home runs and 45 RBI overall this season, the latter placing second on the Yankees entering Sunday. However, he’s hit just .214 with a .699 OPS. His wRC+, meanwhile, was down to 91.
One-hundred is considered league average, which is not what the Yankees expected from Wells this season after he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting last year.
Wells will get a chance to improve his numbers on Monday, as the plan is for him to catch the Yankees’ opener in Toronto. Escarra is expected to catch Tuesday’s day game. Rice, meanwhile, will continue to catch “periodically” and when it “makes sense,” Boone said.
A’s ROOKIE CHASING (AND IN AWE OF) JUDGE
The Yankees’ weekend series against the A’s featured baseball’s highest averages, as Aaron Judge entered Sunday hitting an MLB-best .354. Sacramento rookie Jacob Wilson was second with a .340 average.
“Anytime that you can be up there with one of the best in the game in any category, it’s definitely a cool feeling for me,” Wilson told The News. “Definitely a goal. But it’s a long season. You gotta keep working. Gotta keep having fun and try to keep up with him as much as I can.”
Wilson said it’s too early to be checking the leaderboards daily as he eyes a batting title, but he sees Judge’s highlights on Instagram regularly. The clips typically feature home runs, as Judge had 28 on the season prior to the A’s finale.
Wilson isn’t quite the slugger, as he only had nine homers.
He was amazed by Judge’s ability to excel as a contact and power hitter, but also by his character. The two share the same agent, Page Odle, and Wilson has appreciated the way Judge has treated him the few times they’ve linked up over the years.
“He’s always been the coolest dude to me, which is kind of the most impressive part,” Wilson said. “It’s not only the player, but how he is as a person.”
Funny enough, Wilson mentioned that before he drew the ire of Ian Hamilton on Saturday. The Yankees reliever became frustrated when the 23-year-old didn’t run out a comebacker to the mound late in the game. Hamilton admittedly got a little “emotional” at the end of a bad inning, and Judge approached a confused Wilson to diffuse the needless hostility.
