Aaron Judge hints pressure is getting to free-falling Yankees

Even the usually confident captain seems to understand the New York Yankees are feeling the pressure as the goal of simply qualifying for the playoffs slips further away. 

"I think it weighs on some guys because guys maybe try to go up there and do a little too much, get that big hit and try to get a three-run homer with nobody on base," All-Star slugger Aaron Judge explained following Wednesday's 2-0 loss at the Atlanta Braves that secured a three-game sweep for the hosts, according to Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.

A somewhat defiant Judge called the Yankees out after Tuesday's 5-0 defeat in Atlanta when he said that "we’re not showing up when we need to." New York responded to that rallying cry by producing four base hits against the Braves on Wednesday. 

Judge struck out three times in the club's latest loss. 

The Yankees now have dropped eight of their last 10 games to fall to 60-61 on the campaign. As mentioned by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), this is the first time since Sept. 5, 1995, that the last-place Bronx Bombers have had a losing record after playing at least 120 games.

The Yankees entered Thursday six-and-a-half games back in the race for a wild-card postseason berth. To compare, the 63-57 Boston Red Sox were only three games back of a wild-card spot at that time. 

Boston hosts New York for a three-game series that gets underway on Friday. 

"We’re just a couple streaks away from being right where we want to be," Judge insisted. "We’ve just got to keep that faith. I think that’s what it comes down to, trusting everybody in this room. There may be some doubt outside this room, but inside here, we’re ready to go." 

Before Thursday's contests, FanGraphs gave the Yankees a 2.4% chance of making the playoffs. As Mike Lupica noted for the New York Daily News, those odds unofficially could go down to 0% if the Yankees don't notch at least two victories at their hated rivals this coming weekend.