Aaron Boone, Camilo Doval quotes add more infuriating optics to Yankees' spiral

You're not going to believe this, but things are not going well lately for the New York Yankees, who've gone 1-9 in their past 10 games against teams that opened their respective series 14, 14 and four games below .500. It's been an absolute lifeless slog, and (unfortunately) no player typifies the endless monotony of struggle more than reliever Camilo Doval.

Bullpen arms get the spotlight in close games, and their struggles - especially when they drone on and on and on - garner more heat than, say, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger going down quickly to end the fourth. It's a sad reality and a fact of life. But it means that, if a reliever is a gas can every single time he toes the rubber, nobody really wants to hear niceties about luck and bounces. Nobody wants to discuss "luck". We just want someone who can do the job. And Doval cannot do the job.

He's been unable to do the job since his Yankees debut, when he allowed three runs (one earned) in the ninth inning in Miami to turn a roller coaster game New York had blown repeatedly into the loss of the year. After an offseason's worth of work to correct his inconsistencies, he's still throwing 100+ and getting tattooed like he's a CAA freshman playing SEC ball. He's still relying on the slider. He's still watching his defense letting him down and saying, with full force, "I do not have your back, I am going to blow this."

He's got minor-league options too, you know. The Yankees could use one of those to get him right. They used to do it all the time. Chad Green was demoted. Tommy Kahnle was demoted. It really helped. Instead, here's Aaron Boone after Sunday's game (in which he walked in a run, then wriggled out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam with "only" two runs allowed).

Yes, Aaron, that's the problem. He is throwing the ball really well. He's throwing it absurdly well. And he's still getting tattooed. And he still can't finish batters off. And he's still spiking slider after non-competitive slider in the dirt. So what do we do here?

Camilo Doval's confidence in himself only makes Yankees turmoil more bizarre

To make matters worse (better?), Doval spoke after Sunday's game and said he feels as good as he ever has.

According to Brendan Kuty, Doval still believes he's executing all his pitches well, and simply isn't getting the results he desires, for reasons beyond his control. It's nice to hear a pitcher who might still be a necessary bullpen cog express confidence in himself ahead of the stretch run, but these quotes come after back-to-back killer walks and a two-out single to ruin an extra-innings game against the Tigers, followed by six runs in two innings (all unearned, because he can't close the door with two outs) against the Twins. The Yankees' cushion isn't large enough for endless patience to be afforded here. At a certain point, the feeling needs to match the execution.

Doval is an enigma, which is why he was available to the Yankees last summer in the first place. Feeling good is half the battle, but the second half is crucial. No one doubts that he's throwing the ball well. It's great that he's been empowered to feel amazing. But, without the conclusion the Yankees need, a stint in the minors would still do him good.

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