What happened: Columnist Joel Sherman writes that the Yankees are not merely in a losing period but are performing poorly across every facet of the game. The critique lands as New York sits in the middle of a five-game losing streak and prepares to host the Detroit Tigers, with their season series even at 2-2.

Why it matters: The Yankees entered the year as contenders, so a broad downturn rather than an isolated cold bat carries weight for their standing and their margin in the division race. A slump that touches hitting, pitching and defense at once is harder to fix than a single slumping unit, which is what makes the commentary cut deeper than a typical rough patch.

What to watch: Watch whether the Yankees can arrest the skid against a sub-.500 Detroit club and whether the offense or the run prevention shows the first signs of stabilizing.