Aaron Boone praised his hitters for their consistency, but also credits Mike Minor for staying on top of his game.

After a stretch of scoring in 220 straight games, Aaron Boone’s Yankees suddenly became vulnerable against the Rangers’ Mike Minor. It had been more than one year since the Bombers were shutout as they fell to the Rangers by 7-0.

Minor pitched to a solid 7 1/3 innings, while striking out five; and limiting the Yankees to five hits. Reliever Shawn Kelley picked up by recording two outs. Emmanuel Clase finished the ninth inning by striking out two, and allowing just one hit.

“Anytime we don’t score, or have a good offensive showing; it’s always a little bit surprising,” said Boone. “Just cause our guys are so good, but it happens. When a pitcher’s on top of his game, he can make it tough on you. And credit to him (Minor) today for doing that.”

The last time the Yanks’ offense went blank was against the Red Sox’ ace Chris Sale on June 30, 2018. Despite their scoring streak coming to an end, Boone sees the run as evidence of the tough lineup his team presents; while also praising his hitters for making a rough outing at the batter’s box.

“It’s just a credit to those guys, and how consistent they’ve been,” said Boone. “But as a group, how tough they are to get through on a daily basis obviously. So I guess eventually, unfortunately; I would probably fall. But it just speaks to how good of a group they’ve been over that time.”

According to SBD’s World Series odds, the Yankees sit behind the Astros and Dodgers as favorites, so it’s possible that New York will need to beat one if not both of Houston and Los Angeles if they’re to claim their 28th World Series.