What lies at heart of Yankees’ season-threatening lost weekend

There was jubilation in The Bronx last Thursday, excitement about the Yankees sending the Red Sox home in the wild-card round.

Somewhat lost amid the rave reviews of rookie Cam Schlittler’s memorable outing was the underwhelming offensive performance in that three-game series. The Yankees moved on in spite of their lineup’s shortcomings.

It hasn’t gotten better in the ALDS, a major reason the Yankees will face elimination in Game 3 in The Bronx trailing 2-0. At least, when the first two games were competitive. The Yankees rallying for seven runs in Game 2 after falling behind 12-0 doesn’t count. It was cosmetic in what ended up a 13-7 Blue Jays victory.

Look, the pitching has been abysmal. Max Fried laid a complete egg on Sunday, hammered for seven earned runs in three-plus innings. On Saturday, the bullpen led by Luke Weaver turned a close game into a rout after Luis Gil was ineffective in 2 ⅔ shaky innings. You’re not winning games by allowing 23 runs in two games, as the Yankees have so far in the ALDS.