Austin Wells' first home run of 2024 helps mask comedy of Yankees errors

What a start after a lifeless Monday! The New York Yankees grounded into two double plays in the first two innings on Tuesday night and then made an error and a horrible misplay in the second inning to gift the Baltimore Orioles an early lead despite Nestor Cortes' effective pitching.

Never before has a team been so promising and so infuriating at the same time. Again, call Yankees fans spoiled all you want, but you try watching 162 games of incompetence over and over and over again.

We'd just like to know what this team is doing. Ever. Only the Yankees can follow up a 36-run weekend and put forth 11 of the most underwhelming innings you've ever seen to follow.

In the bottom of the second inning, Orioles cleanup hitter Anthony Santander led off with a pop up. But the Yankees had some sort of insane shift on despite the fact Santander hits to all fields? Why do I know more than this team?

Santander's bloop into no man's land had Anthony Rizzo running into deep right field. Juan Soto was shifted so far over that he had to make a ridiculous run to the ball too. In the end, Rizzo took a stab at it, and failed miserably. Why did he think that was the play? Why didn't Soto call him off and make the play? WHAT WAS ANYBODY DOING? This is supposed to be professional baseball.

Austin Wells' first home run of 2024 helps mask comedy of Yankees errors

Just like that, what was supposed to be an out turned into a runner on second. The next batter, Jordan Westburg, hit a hot shot to Gleyber Torres, who fielded the ball cleanly and opted to try and throw out the lead runner at third.

Except he made a bad throw right into the back of Santander. The ball richocheted into foul territory and Santander made a mad dash for the plate. What should've been two outs, nobody on, and a 0-0 score turned into a 1-0 Orioles lead with a runner on first and nobody out.

What an absolutely ridiculous, undisciplined team this can be sometimes. And it's not even debatable. The evidence is all right there for you to dissect.

Thankfully, though, Austin Wells' prolonged slump might be coming to an end. In the top of the third inning, he hit his first homer of the 2024 season off Dean Kremer with an absolute rocket over the right-center field fence. That tied the game at 1-1 and might've lifted some pressure off the team following that stinker in the bottom of the second.

Wells has had terrible batted ball luck in 2024, so it's about time he caught a break. Even his single on Monday night was overshadowed by Giancarlo Stanton's inability to run, as the slugger was thrown out at second base by the right fielder after he hesitated on the base paths.

Can we just not have another agonizing night? A loss won't be the end of the world, but don't make us hate everything at the same time.