For much of this season, the Yankees have been holding steady at 35–22, looking like contenders on paper. But beneath the surface, something’s been off. Gerrit Cole’s absence due to Tommy John surgery has quietly become the defining storyline of their 2025 campaign. Last year, Cole was the unquestioned ace: a 2.78 ERA over 200 innings, striking out over 11 batters per nine innings. He was the guy who could carry the rotation and change the game with every start. Without him this year, New York’s rotation ERA has jumped to 3.91, a sharp step back from the sub-3.00 mark they had with Cole anchoring the staff. In Cole’s shadow, Aaron Boone has been forced to improvise.

That solves things, right? Well, not quite. Because, if you thought Friday night’s 8-5 loss was rough, Saturday’s 18-2 beatdown was something else entirely—a brutal, 21-hit dismantling. In just the second game of the three-game series, the Dodgers tore the Yankees apart so thoroughly that the loss was proof that something was amiss. 

Boone’s patchwork rotation, forced to fill Cole’s shoes, struggled to keep pace. Luis Gil and Max Fried have shown flashes, Fried with a stunning 1.29 ERA over 11 starts, Gil on track for Rookie of the Year. But beyond them, the rotation looks shaky. Take Will Warren, just 25, who Boone threw to the wolves with a 5.19 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Facing a Dodgers lineup that’s been crushing the ball, hitting .270 with runners in scoring position, and boasting an OPS north of .900, it was a tall order. By the second inning, after 10 runs and 21 hits, it was clear New York was outmatched, and Boone’s pitching choices came under the microscope.

Amid the noise, two voices stand out—David Ortiz and Derek Jeter, both legends of the game and one of the Yankees uniform. Speaking bluntly after the game, they didn’t hold back their frustration with Boone’s lineup decisions or the stark reality of the rotation without Cole. 

David Ortiz didn’t mince words when he said, “A little bit with Gerrit Cole. You don’t need him usually against pedestrian teams. But it’s obvious when he’s not in; you’ve got to put a pitcher in like Will Warren. Tough matchup for him. You need a full stack to beat the Dodgers, and that may not be enough.” Without Cole, the Yankees need somebody equally or more dominating to beat the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, according to Jeter, “The depth of the Dodgers and the National League is superior league than the American League right now…. As it stands now, the Dodgers have a better team.” For the record, it comes from a former Yankee legend. Well, he did emphasize a fair point, which is, both the Yankees and the Dodgers will certainly look different after the trade deadline.

However, at present, Jeter’s clear stance is that the Dodgers are unbeatable. Currently, the team ranks second in the majors in terms of runs scored, first in batting average, and again, second in OPS. With Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, and Will Smith, the Dodgers are producing dangerously.

Even without a fully healthy rotation, the Dodgers’ ability to plug in star-studded players makes them clearly a better team than the Yankees.

The Dodgers dominated the Yankees so badly that Ohtani took a nap

Dominate is an understatement, though. The Yankees were basically dismantled by the Dodgers. The Yankees were burned by eight pitchers. Had it not been for Aaron Judge’s two solo home runs, the Yankees might have been shut out entirely.

Max Muncy delivered a stunning three-run homer, which was his 200th career blast. It sent Yankees starter Will Warren to the bench earlier than expected. Meanwhile, Tommy Edman slammed an RBI double and Hyeseong Kim hit a two-run homer. And of course, the Dodgers were up by a 10-0 lead in the second inning itself.

Yankees’ captain Judge did make an attempt in the fourth inning to shift the game, but the Dodgers dominated harder. Later, in the sixth inning, the Dodgers’ offense kept piling on the lead, enough to believe that they had already stacked the win.

Relieved by the win, Shohei Ohtani was visibly taking a full-fledged nap in the dugout. Ohtani opened up to the media and told them how he ideally likes to get 10 hours of sleep a night. Now, with a baby at home, it’s likely that he isn’t getting enough sleep because of his professional duties. So, a little nap is well deserved, no?

The Yankees clearly couldn’t slow down the Dodgers. It’s a serious possibility that they will get swept away in Sunday’s finale matchup.

What do you think?