Yankees remain confident in George Lombard Jr. as errors start to pile up: 'He will get through it'

· Yahoo Sports

The Yankees dropped their series with the Astros after a futile offensive performance on Thursday.

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But it's the defense of their rookie shortstop that has raised eyebrows. 

George Lombard Jr.'s defense was touted as "major league ready" for awhile and he showed that when he was first called up to the big leagues. However, he made his seventh error of the season Thursday. Of those seven, he's made one error in at least six straight games. 

The defensive misplay occurred in the eighth with the Astros up 4-1. Yainer Diaz hit a roller to the left side that both Jose Caballero and Lombard charged at. The third baseman gave way to Lombard, who booted it. The ball was hit to Caballero, who tried to throw out the runner and end the inning, but it sailed. 

"I don’t know [what's going on], it’s something I’m trying to figure out," Lombard said after the loss. "It’s not acceptable, can’t happen at this level. If you make your pitchers get extra outs and makes it way harder on us. Teams will definitely capitalize. It’s something I have to clean up and I’ll be better tomorrow." 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the play a bit tricky since Lombard wasn't sure whether Caballero was going for it, and by the time it reached him, there was some indecisiveness, which played into what caused the error. 

Although the Yankees dropped the series to the Astros and have a huge four-game series with the Red Sox coming up, most of Boone's postgame was about Lombard's defense, asking what is going on with his rookie shortstop. The Yankees skipper didn't have any definitive answers, and said that he and other players have gone through similar defensive lulls. 

In Boone's mind, it's about "go make plays instead of guarding against a mistake."

"The good thing about George is that he’s so skilled and gifted out there. And foundationally, he’s really good," Boone said. "He will get through it, just gotta get a few going and start playing carefree. That’s why I hang my hat, foundationally speaking, he’ll get through this and put it in the rearview mirror."

When Lombard first got to the team, he accumulated plus-8 Defensive Runs Saved across his first 11 games. That has since dropped to plus-6 and his six-game error streak has put him in rare company. According to Katie Sharp, Lombard Jr. is the first Yankees shortstop to have such a streak since Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915.

Despite that, Boone and the rest of the team believe in Lombard and that this is just a part of the process.

"Errors happen, and unfortunately, they happen in groups for everyone," Gerrit Cole, who took the loss Thursday, said. "It’s important to remember he’s a young player and he’s working his tail off to get better."

"We all have the utmost confidence in George out there," Ben Rice said. "We know the ability he has out there. We trust him to stick with it and we know what he's capable of and it's fun to watch when he's in rhythm out there."

Lombard Jr. says he's gone through stretches like this in the past and understands there are ups and downs to the game. He'll talk to the coaching staff to see if there's anything he's doing or can do to try and figure out what's going on, but Lombard Jr. is confident this will pass.

"My mindset every single play is I want the ball to you. That doesn't change whether it’s going great or not," he said. "I’m still going to put 100 percent effort into making every play I can.

"Obviously it’s frustrating. It’s not something I want to happen. My main focus is turn the page and make the next play. It’s definitely not something I’m happy with at all... Tomorrow is another day and I have to be better." 

The Yankees and Lombard Jr. hope that error streak ends Friday as the Red Sox come into town for a crucial four-game series with major playoff implications. It's the 21-year-old's first taste of the rivalry, but he is ready.

"I'm excited for it. Obviously, have to treat it just like another series and see what we can do against them," Lombard Jr. said. "Going to look into them and see how we can find ways to win. It's going to be exciting." 

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