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Jazz Chisholm Jr. did not look for excuses after one of the most complicated defensive nights of the Yankees in this postseason.
New York made four mistakes in the 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series and will return to Yankee Stadium with a 0-2 disadvantage and no margin for another loss.
Chisholm was directly involved in one of the most expensive mistakes of the night and acknowledged after the game that the Yankees hurt themselves in a match where Tampa Bay once again took advantage of every opportunity.
"We won alone today, in many ways," recognized second baseman after the match.
For the Yankees, the problem is no longer just correcting a move. Now they need to recover defensive precision immediately because their season is against the wall.
Jazz Chisholm recognizes a very difficult night for Yankees
The problems started practically from the first release.
Tampa Bay put pressure on the New York defense from the first inning and the Yankees responded with a series of mistakes that made a complicated start to a warning of what would come for the rest of the game.
Ryan McMahon made a mistake about a shot by Yandy Díaz.
Shortly after, George Lombard Jr. made a good play on a Junior Caminero ball and handed the ball to Chisholm looking to start a double kill.
Jazz got the out in the Second Division, but tried to complete the play with a difficult shot towards first base.
The launch ended out of the reach of Luis García Jr. and allowed Tampa Bay to score the first run of the match.
It was a mistake that Chisholm recognized, although he made it clear that he would try to complete the play if he had another chance.
Chisholm does not regret trying the double killing
After the match, Jazz explained that his problem was not trying to get the second out.
His intention was to complete a double kill against Caminero and prevent Tampa Bay from keeping the entrance alive.
The problem was in execution.
Chisholm received the ball as he moved around second base and pitched in an awkward position.
The shot got too open and ended up away from first.
The second base later explained that he would launch the launch again, but would seek to execute it with greater precision.
That reflects the aggressive mentality with which Jazz plays, although it also shows how small the margin of error can be during the postseason.
Three errors in the first entry set the tone
The problem did not end with Chisholm's shot.
Austin Wells was also penalized for interference from the receiver during the same entry.
The Yankees officially ended up with three errors only in the first episode.
Despite the defensive chaos, Cam Schlittler managed to limit the damage to a single run.
The right took 19 pitches to complete the inning, but 17 were strikes and managed to escape from a situation that could easily become a much larger rally.
Instead of taking advantage of his starter's effort to start again, New York continued to play under pressure for the rest of the night.
The Rays forced Yankees to defend every ball
One of the main strengths of Tampa Bay was once again exposed.
Rays do not need to rely exclusively on home run to produce races.
They constantly put the ball into play.
they run.
press.
They force the defense to complete plays.
And when the rival makes a mistake, they usually find a way to take advantage of it.
That was exactly what happened in front of the Yankees.
New York knew before starting the series that it was supposed to play a clean defense against Tampa Bay.
Game 2 ended up being the opposite.
The errors did not end in the first entry
Although three of the mistakes came in the first episode, the defense continued to have difficulties later on.
George Lombard Jr. made an erratic shot at first base during the fifth inning and Tampa Bay once again extended a situation that eventually ended up producing more runs.
The Rays scored four times in that episode and broke a 1-1 draw.
Richie Palacios produced two of those races with a single to center field.
That rally ended up putting the game out of reach of some Yankees who again had problems generating offense.
Cam Schlittler had to throw around too much trouble
Schlittler came to Game 2 after a dominant performance against Boston, but this time he had to constantly work with riders in circulation.
The law was not as dominant as in his previous appearance, but he did not receive much defensive help either.
Tampa Bay placed the first batter based on four of the five innings that Schlittler started.
That means you were practically never able to work comfortably with the clean bases.
The young right man kept the Yankees in the game for several innings, but the constant pressure ended up taking its toll.
Jazz defended the quality of his teammates
Despite the four mistakes, Chisholm did not want to turn a bad night into a charge against the team's defense.
Jazz stressed that he shares the field with some of the best defenders he has played with during his career.
Precisely for this reason, he explained that a presentation like this is even more frustrating.
The Yankees know that they can defend much better.
The problem is that in October there are not too many opportunities to prove it after a defeat.
Now they need to do it immediately.
Ben Rice was practically all the Yankees offensive
While the defense suffered, Ben Rice was once again the hitter who kept New York with possibilities.
Rice hit two home runs and produced the only two Yankees runs.
His first home run momentarily tied the match in the fourth inning.
The second came later, when Tampa Bay had already built a much greater advantage.
Outside of Rice, the offensive failed to produce the attack necessary to make up for defensive errors.
That is another problem that New York will have to solve when it returns to the Bronx.
Yankees can't depend on a single batter
The first two meetings of the ALDS have shown two different versions of the same problem.
In Game 1, the Yankees were limited to only one hit.
In the second, Ben Rice produced the team's two home runs, but the rest of the lineup again had difficulty generating runs.
With Aaron Judge off the roster of this divisional series, New York needs collective production.
He can't depend on Rice to solve every match.
Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis García Jr., Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Austin Wells and the rest of the lineup will have to answer.
The four mistakes left Yankees against the wall
The most important consequence of the defeat now appears in the series.
Tampa Bay has a 2-0 lead.
The Rays only need one more victory to move forward.
The Yankees need to win three consecutive games.
There is no room for another night like Game 2.
An error can occur.
Four mistakes in a postseason match are extremely difficult to overcome.
And in the face of a team that puts as much pressure on the defense as Tampa Bay, giving away additional outs can be decisive.
Jazz Chisholm: Now you have to answer
Chisholm's message after the defeat was not resigned.
He recognized the mistakes, took responsibility and made it clear that the team needs to quickly turn the page.
The Yankees return to New York with their season at stake.
It no longer matters how they lost the first two games.
It doesn't matter the error of the first entry.
It doesn't matter Chisholm's shot.
It doesn't matter what happened in Tampa.
Now they need to win the next game.
The Yankistas: The defense cannot give out again outs
from the perspective of The Yankists, the defeat of Game 2 left a lesson too clear.
The Yankees cannot offer additional outs to Tampa Bay.
Rays are precisely the kind of team that turns those mistakes into races.
They place the ball in the game, run the bases well and force the opponent to execute.
When the defense fails, Tampa Bay doesn't need to do too much more.
That is why the return to the Yankee Stadium has to be accompanied by a better defensive version.
The offensive needs to produce.
Pitching needs to keep the team in the game.
But, before anything else, the Yankees need to catch the ball and complete the plays in front of them.
The Yankees season is coming to its most delicate moment
After two defeats in Tampa, there is no longer room to think long term.
The next game can end the season.
The Yankees have previously starred in postseason comebacks, but no past story can help them if they make the same mistakes again.
The answer starts with something basic.
defend clean.
Do not give out.
Do not provide additional bases.
And when an offensive opportunity appears, take advantage of it.
Jazz Chisholm was one of the first players to recognize what happened.
Now he and his teammates will have to show on the ground that the worst defensive night of the series was left behind.