Yankees can use Atlanta as a cautionary tale

The Yankees could have looked into the dugout on Saturday and found plenty to worry about: the Atlanta team that won 104 games last year, the same team that gave them an 8-1 drubbing on Friday, and yet another sign that getting out of their current fainting situation wouldn’t be easy.

Or, they could have seen a cautionary tale.

Despite a three-game losing streak through Saturday and being on the wrong end of back-to-back routs, there’s no doubt that it’s been a charming season for the Yankees thus far. Their .654 winning percentage was still the best in baseball, they employ the services of two of the most formidable hitters in the world and, despite recent missteps, their rotation has been largely dominant.

“Everything went as smoothly as it could,” Aaron Boone said, referring to all the games leading up to this latest 2-6 stretch.

Atlanta knows a lot about things going as smoothly as possible and the pitfalls that come with it.

After all, this is the team that won more than 100 games two seasons in a row and won the NL East division title last year. This is also the team that took advantage of those “enchanted” seasons and rolled into the playoffs, losing three games to one to the Phillies each time.

Now, there are plenty of reasons for their playoff issues. The revamped playoff format means baseball’s top teams get first-round byes and five days without a game – a potential gut punch for players who have spent 162 games mired in routine. Their vaunted attack bore no fruit. The Phillies got hot at the right time.

But there’s also this, courtesy of Spencer Strider, speaking to reporters after Atlanta’s elimination last year: “People who try to use the playoff format to justify the results they don’t you don’t like are not faced with the real problem… You » You control your concentration, your competitiveness, your energy. If having five days means you can’t make the adjustment, you have no one to blame but yourself. »

As the old adage goes, calm seas never made a skilled sailor, and while no professional player will ever describe an MLB season as perfectly smooth, there is something to be said for the intensity that comes with just one touch of despair. It’s a tool the Yankees can exploit right now and, if they stay steady, it can be a learning experience when it matters most.

And Boone, a baseball lifer if ever there was one, knows it.

On Friday, he was asked about Carlos Rodon, who gave up three runs in the first inning and then barked at someone (no one could say exactly who) in the dugout.

“We play a lot,” Boone said. “No problem with his intensity. I wanted and expected more.

After that outing, Rodon was seen sitting sullenly on the bench, and when Gleyber Torres moved to comfort him, the left-hander appeared to start crying – using his hat to shield his face.

“I was just upset about the situation,” he said afterward, referring to the screaming. “Emotions are running high.”

Say what you want about Rodon’s performance – and to be clear, it wasn’t good – but it’s certainly the type of intensity that can breed durability over time, provided the ability to get out be present for the journey. It can also translate into increased focus when it matters most – when you’re facing scrappy postseason teams that have had to claw their way into October and often show off their ability to handle baseball’s unpredictability like a well. sharp sword.

If the Yankees continue to sail along, they will need to combine dominance and determination in their efforts to avoid falling victim to the same pitfalls that felled Atlanta…and the Orioles…and the Dodgers in the last postseason.

“I feel like we’re absolutely built for this,” Boone said, referring to their recent adversity. “Sometimes a little reminder, or having your lunch handed to you or popping it in your mouth, helps you in the long run. Keep this advantage. Keep that sharp and it will allow you to understand how a team is attacking you, perhaps, and where you can improve those things.

So, for now, go ahead and call this recent swoon a wake-up call. And if they need more scolding, they can just look to the third base on the diamond, to a team full of uplifting stories.