Aaron Boone 'Confident' in Yankees' Approach Despite Striking Out 17 Times in Back-to-Back Games

Despite earning a dubious distinction with back-to-back 17-strikeout games, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is not looking to alter his team's approach at the plate.

Speaking to reporters after the Yankees' 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, Boone said, "We don't want to lead in that number [strikeouts] clearly, but as far as approach, I'm confident in our approach. But we've gotta get some guys on track right now. Some really good players, obviously, that are going through a tough time right now. We're not gonna overhaul and change. But part of our approach is being a tough out and being situational, and we've gotta do a better job of that right now."

According to ESPN, the Yankees became the first American League team in history to strike out at least 17 times in two consecutive nine-inning games.

New York was able to overcome the first instance by beating Tampa Bay 5-1 on Monday, but the Yankees didn't get good enough pitching to bail them out in Tuesday's loss.

The Yanks have struggled mightily as of late, losing 10 of their past 12 games, which dropped them to second place in the AL East, four games behind the Rays.

It is likely no coincidence that their recent offensive issues have come with two of their top hitters on the injured list in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Judge, who has been named AL MVP in each of the past two and three of the past four seasons, has been out for over a month with a stress fracture in his rib.

Meanwhile, Stanton hasn't played since late April due to a calf strain.

The Yankees still have a pair of All-Stars in Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger in the lineup, plus other notable names such as Jazz Chisholm, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt.

While the talent is there to turn things around, the Yankees are undeniably in the midst of a rough stretch, and it is fair to wonder if a trade may be the catalyst needed to get back on track.