Yankees pitcher Luis Gil breaks silence on alarming decline

As the New York Yankees continue their slide, promising right-hander Luis Gil delivered another less-than-stellar outing Tuesday night in a loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The 5-4 defeat marked the fourth straight series in which the Yankees have lost the opener.

Gil was removed in the fifth inning after striking out two batters and allowing a two-run home run to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. Cincinnati scored four runs against Gil, who allowed two hits but walked three in addition to those hit by pitches.

Gil hasn’t looked the same in about a month, his ERA climbing from 1.82 on June 9 to 3.41 after Tuesday’s start. Neither he nor the Yankees staff has figured out what’s wrong with the 26-year-old.

“Maybe the delivery wasn’t exactly what I wanted,” Gil said through the team’s Spanish interpreter. “I can’t say exactly why.”

“You just have to mechanically synchronize your body until you feel comfortable, like I said before,” Gil said, according to Brendan Kuty. “Sometimes you run into obstacles when you compete at this level. But at the same time, I’m sure that if I work hard, I can get through it and things like that won’t happen again.”

Gil has had an up-and-down run in recent times. His last good start was on June 4. Since then, he has allowed 20 runs in his last five starts, while walking 14. Luis Gil has only one win in those five starts.

“It’s tough,” Gil said, “but you can’t give up. That’s just the way it is. You have to keep fighting. You keep fighting, and then you turn it around.”

Yankees’ slide continues as All-Star break approaches

Not long ago, the Yankees were flirting with the best record in baseball. They have struggled in recent weeks and have lost their grip on the American League East lead as the Baltimore Orioles have taken over the division.

New York is 5-12 since June 13, when they had a 2 1/2-game lead in the division and the best winning percentage in MLB. They haven’t won a series since that stretch began with a loss to the Kansas City Royals, who avoided a four-game sweep.

While Aaron Judge continues to prove he’s the best hitter on the planet, the rest of the Yankees roster, with the exception of Juan Soto, has been quiet. Over the last 15 days, Anthony Volpe has a .533 OPS, Alex Verdugo has five hits in 43 at-bats and DJ LeMahieu has a .499 OPS.

The Yankees’ pitching staff hasn’t done the team any favors either. New York hasn’t had a good start from a pitcher since June 23. The Yankees’ rotation has an 8.72 ERA over the last 12 games. They’re 3-9 in those games.

With the All-Star break less than two weeks away, this might be the perfect time for the Yankees to take a breather. If they can win six or seven games in their final 11 before the break, they’ll have 60 games to play and will be all but assured of a playoff spot if they play .500 the rest of the way.

The Yankees have bigger ambitions than that and want to get back to the top of the MLB. That includes winning the AL East, taking first place in the American League and winning a World Series. The Yankees will have a hard time doing that if they continue to play like they have.