The New York Yankees are sleepwalking through the dog days of summer.

The club looked to be turning a corner to close a disappointing month of July, as they had won four of five games, then imported seven players at a busy trade deadline, seemingly adding even more muscle to the roster and excitement into the clubhouse.

But the Yankees have fallen flat since, blowing two leads in a series-opening loss against the Miami Marlins, getting swept by those same Marlins and then losing the first game of the series in walk-off fashion to the Texas Rangers.

So, after four straight losses and a 12–16 stretch since July 1, are the defeats wearing on the Yankees players?

"Yes," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after Monday's loss. "Doesn’t matter though. It doesn’t matter. Weigh on us. Stress. We gotta win. Period. We know that. Nobody cares how stressful it is. That’s all just noise, excuses, whatever. We’ve got to go play better and we’ve got to win, and we know that."

What might help the struggling Yankees turn things around is the return of captain and two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge, who is slated to be available for Tuesday's game after being sidelined since July 25 with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

Whether through the presence of Judge, or other means of turnaround, change needs to come soon for the Yankees. Once alone in first place in the AL East, New York is now 5.5 games back of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays and is tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second AL wild card spot.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Boone Reveals Toll Yankees' Losing Streak Is Having on Team.

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