Postgame remarks from Lombard Jr.: “It’s something you’re trying to figure out. Obviously, it’s not acceptable. It can’t happen at this level. If you make the pitchers have to get extra outs, it just makes it way harder on us, and teams are going to capitalize. So, something we’re definitely going to have to clean up, and I gotta be better tomorrow.” He added that he doesn’t feel he’s pressing or trying to force change; he simply hasn’t performed up to his standards recently. “I’m going out and playing my game every day. Obviously, the last few days I haven’t been what I wanted to be, but it’s baseball. We’re going to have another game tomorrow, so I have to be better tomorrow.”
Lombard Jr. addressed his defensive struggles and looked ahead to the rivalry series against Boston. The reply came as he reflected on the challenges of taking the field after a tough stretch.
Statistically, Lombard Jr. has been a bright spot since his Aug. 4 call-up, aside from the recent defensive missteps. He recorded eight defensive runs saved over his first 11 games, placing him among the top shortstops in that metric despite the small sample size. At the plate, he’s hitting .265 with 12 runs, 18 hits, two home runs and six RBIs, and he’s slugging .368 with an OPS of .688.
The Yankees now shift focus to a high-stakes series with the Red Sox, hoping to turn things around and build momentum in a crucial stretch of the season.
