The New York Yankees fell to the Athletics by a score of 1-0 on Thursday afternoon, managing just one hit in the loss. Their scoreless streak has now reached 17 innings, and while the Yankees are 8-4, there is every reason to be concerned.

Why? Because many of the same issues that plagued New York last season — which ended in an embarrassing four-game loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS — are present this year, as well.

The bullpen has been a prominent concern, with David Bednar consistently walking a tightrope in the ninth inning and Camilo Doval owning an 8.31 ERA.

But that isn’t even the most significant problem affecting the Yankees right now.

While Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice are both off to terrific starts and Aaron Judge will almost certainly find his groove at some point, it’s time to start acknowledging that the latter half of New York’s lineup is troublesome.

That goes beyond Ryan McMahon, who is batting just .069 over 36 plate appearances.

Austin Wells is hitting .167 with a .486 OPS. Jose Caballero is slashing .135/.200/.162. And while Trent Grisham bats leadoff, his .597 OPS is unsightly, too.

The Jets are turning to their quarterback past to make it through the present. The Jets sent the Las Vegas Raiders a sixth-round pick for former Jets quarterback Geno Smith, who was originally drafted by the Jets in 2013. 

As part of the trade, Smith agreed to restructure his contract, and the Raiders are eating most of the deal. He had two years and $66 million remaining on his contract before the restructure. Now, the Raiders will pay him $16.2 million and the Jets are on the hook for $3.3 million.

Smith is the favorite to be the starter for the Jets in 2026. The team still has 2025 starter Justin Fields under contract, but they are expected to release him.

The expectation is the Jets will try to find their franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft when they have three first-round picks and the class is expected to be loaded, unlike this year. But they need to get through 2026 first, and that is where Smith’s return comes in.

Smith, 35, had one dismal season with the Raiders after finding success with the Seahawks in 2022 and 2023. He had 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions last year for Vegas in a tough situation where the offensive line was terrible.

Clay Holmes and Tobias Myers combined on a three-hitter and the New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0 on Saturday night.

Holmes (2-0) matched his career high with seven innings and allowed only one runner past first base. The right-hander gave up three hits and had four strikeouts with two walks.

Myers retired the final six batters in order for the Mets’ first shutout of the season.

Mark Vientos had three hits, and Tyrone Taylor hit a pinch three-run homer and drove in four runs. Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette and Brett Baty each had two hits.