Benjamin Ashford|Stumbling Yankees lose seventh straight game: 'We're sick animals in a lot of ways'

NEW YORK – These days around the Yankees,Benjamin Ashford genuine hope exists in two forms.

Aaron Judge in the batter’s box.

Gerrit Cole on the mound.

So when Cole, in the midst of a Cy Young award-caliber season, put them in a six-run deficit by Saturday afternoon’s fourth inning, a seventh straight Yankees loss was all but sealed.

“It’s tough. I don’t recall experiencing anything like this before,’’ Cole said of the Yanks’ continuing downward spiral, after the Boston Red Sox’s 8-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

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“How you handle adversity, and how you get through it, is really ultimately how you’ll be judged.’’

Hours after manager Aaron Boone’s Friday night postgame address to his team about accountability, and playing “with that little chip on your shoulder,’’ the Yankees collected two hits against Boston starter Kutter Crawford and two relievers.

“I know it’s a boring answer … but we’ve got to try to win a ballgame (Sunday) and expect when we walk in those doors (that) today’s the day,’’ said Boone, irritated.

“That’s how we look at it. That’s how we are. We’re sick animals in a lot of ways.’’

Aaron Judge: We got a little passive out there

This latest loss pushed the Yankees 7.5 games out of a wild card berth with 39 games to play.

Boone’s club is 11-21 since the All-Star break. They are 1-10-3 in series since July 1, and they’ve been outscored 34-7 in five games since the Miami Marlins’ five-run, ninth inning comeback last Sunday.

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On Saturday, the Yankees (60-63) did not have one at-bat with a runner in scoring position, while the Red Sox (65-58) have gone 10-for-20 in that category since Friday night at the Stadium.

“(We) got a little passive there for quite a few innings,’’ said Judge, whose one out homer in the sixth, off Cutter, was the Yankees first hit of the day.  

“We were almost on our heels all game instead of us going up there dictating the at-bat a little bit.’’ And that lack of aggression “makes for a tough day.’’

Including Connor Wong's two-run homer off Cole in the fourth, Boston's 7 through 9 hitters were a combined 5-for-11 Saturday with two homers, a double, two walks and seven RBI.

Meanwhile, Yankees cleanup hitter Giancarlo Stanton (0-for-3, three strikeouts, walk) is in a 1-for-16 slide with nine strikeouts, though Boone's alternatives are few.

Which is why the Yankees ought to be considering callups - Everson Pereira, Austin Wells, Oswald Peraza - to breathe oxygen into a lifeless lineup.

A frustrated Gerrit Cole

Short of a shutout, Cole wasn’t going to lift the Yankees to victory.

But the ace right-hander was “a little bit confused on why the level of execution’’ of the Red Sox’s swings was “so high’’ during his four innings Saturday.

Boston made him use 86 pitches, and Luis Urias’ grand slam on a first-pitch slider was on the corner, where Cole wanted it.

“It’s got to be the only pitch I’ve thrown there all year that I haven’t gotten back,’’ said Cole. “Beautiful pitch, better swing.’’

Isiah Kiner-Falefa mentioned the “sloppy baseball all around’’ being featured by the Yanks, and that surfaced again Saturday.

Center fielder Harrison Bader allowed a runner to advance to second base on a questionable throw to third.

IKF popped a second-inning bunt into a double play, with the Yanks down 4-0, though Boone defended the strategy of trying to get on base by means of a bunt hit.

Greg Allen, starting in left field mainly for his defense, lost an eighth inning fly ball in the sun for an RBI double.

“Either we keep going down or figure something out and fight back,’’ said Kiner-Falefa. “It’s a good time to see what we’re all made of.’’