The Yankees' big stars are running out of time to save the season

The advantages the Yankees have over the Royals are numerous, especially how numerous they are.

Their payroll is about three times that of Kansas City. But it leaves the Yankees top-heavy. So if their wealthiest men don't move up in October, they'll be playing on a more even playing field with the Royals.

And in fact, they are now playing on an even playing field in this Division Series, with each tied at one point.

In Game 1, the Yankees discovered that their highest-paid pitcher, Gerrit Cole, and their highest-paid player, Aaron Judge, were no good. However, the Royals walked enough batters, the Yankee choir members stood up, and the instant replay review system really helped the home team.

In Game 2, the Yankees asked Carlos Rodon to pitch like the highest-paid No. 2 starter in the sport, and he wasn't up to his salary or the moment. The judge had more problems, and this time so did Juan Soto.

And in this money-for-nothing swamp, the Yankees humbly lost 4-2, opening a door they didn't want to open – the failure of last October. They have lost home field advantage and the starting advantage for Game 3 shifts significantly to Seth Lugo over Clarke Schmidt.

On September 10, Lugo had his best start of 2024 against the Yankees, according to Baseball Reference: seven shutout innings on three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. That was in the Bronx. Wednesday takes place at Kauffman Stadium, where the Yankees will feel not only an opposing crowd that hasn't seen a playoff game since 2015, but also the weight of their own short-circuited postseason since their last win in 2009.

This postseason, AJ Burnett made five starts and had two clunkers, but three great performances in Game 2 in Yankee victories; most notably, he won Game 2 of the World Series after the Yanks lost the home opener to the Phillies.

I mention Burnett because Rodon conjured up a lefty Burnett from the moment he signed a six-year, $162 million free agent contract – great stuff, but real questions about whether he was overly emotional and whether he was with New York would cope. Burnett was the guy who could be overpowering, but if you looked at the scoreboard, he had somehow allowed five runs in five innings.

Rodon had a Game 2 like that. He came out breathing fire – with his fastball and his emotions. He struck out the team in ten pitches in the first inning and cheered like he was auditioning for the WWE.

Follow the Post's coverage of the Yankees in the postseason:

He threw a first-pitch strike to the first ten batters he faced and went 0-2 in half of them. And then he bowled ball 1 to six of the last eight batters he faced – trailing each one at times. Salvador Perez opened the fourth inning with a 2-0 hit for his fourth career home run against Rodon.

Rodon made progress this year with pitching ability and loss of control – over his pitches and emotions. So it was a reversal where it once again looked like Rodon could take a deep breath and recalibrate at an important moment. Instead, he was a marathon runner who ran too fast – his energy and concentration waned. He was classic Rodon over the next five batters – three hits, two strikeouts and a stolen base. He was done after 3²/₃ innings and four runs scored – seven hits and seven strikeouts. He was good enough to be great and bad enough to have neither endurance nor success.

“Technically he was excellent tonight, but then all of a sudden he was a little confused,” Aaron Boone said. That sounded like it could be on Rodon's business card.

And remember, if that happens, Rodon will likely start in a crucial Game 5.

Rodon was a culprit – but not alone. The Yankees lost Game 2 despite drawing five walks in the first five innings, including three leading out of frames, striking out a total of 15 Royals, and receiving 5¹/₃ shutout relief innings after receiving four in Game 1.

Judge had two ons and no-outs in a scoreless first inning for the second game in a row, giving the Royals an opportunity to immediately believe they didn't belong in the same league as the Yankees. Instead, he struck both times. He struck out in 33.8 percent of his postseason plate appearances – the second-highest mark for anyone with 200 plate appearances.

Soto walked but struck twice. Giancarlo Stanton, another wealthy Yankee, crushed an RBI grounder off the glove of shortstop Bobby Witt's Jr. to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third before Rodon collapsed in the fourth. Stanton, however, continues to run as if he's carrying the weight of the Yankees' recent playoff failures on his back.

And the Yanks did the least of the most – going 2-for-20 with men on base. This shows once again that their offense is hardly a threat when one of their big guys fails to save a home run or two.

Now that division series moves to the Midwest. Will the Yankees' big stars and highly paid players step up to save their season?