Juan Soto is suspended, but the Yankees can't win the World Series without unlocking Aaron Judge

LOS ANGELES — Some of the reasons the Yankees slipped into a 2-0 deficit against the Dodgers were predictable.

Carlos Rodón has had a tumultuous outing this postseason and another on Saturday in Game 2 of the World Series. At least a few Yankees players have struggled defensively all year, and those repeat offenders resurfaced this weekend in Chavez Ravine. During the regular season, bottom-place New York's performance was consistently poor, and that was a problem in each of the first two games of the series.

But none of those factors are as glaring as the biggest one — the one the Yankees appear unprepared for.

(RELATED: Complete coverage of the World Series)

Aaron Judge is lost at the plate.

He strikes out more often than he gets on base. He chases pitches that he would normally see flying out of the zone. He rocks back and forth in the batter's box – which Yankees hitting coach James Rowson says means he's trying to find his rhythm – rather than standing frozen and locked in like he did during his record-setting regular season. He criticizes mistakes that he would normally penalize for home runs.

Simply put: He's not doing his job.

And when the Yankees are desperate for offense, as they were in this star-studded Fall Classic, and one of the best hitters in the world isn't doing his job, it leads to back-to-back losses to the elite Dodgers team that has outperformed them in every facet of the game.

“I definitely need to step up,” Judge said after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss on Saturday. “I have to do my job. If guys are out there doing their job and getting on base, I'm letting them down. I don’t support them.”

The other two stars on the Yankees' roster have struck out throughout October and are virtually the only ones to do so in the Fall Classic.

Juan Soto is locked up at the plate; His solo shot in the third inning of Game 2 was the Yankees' only hit against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Soto's strike on the right field wall in the ninth inning was only New York's second hit of the night, and he soon scored his only other run when Giancarlo Stanton followed with a scorcher down the left field line.

Caught between the two rockets? Judge's sixth strikeout of the series.

Soto now has four home runs, nine RBIs and an OPS of 1.160 in 11 games this postseason. Stanton has six home runs, 14 RBIs and an OPS of 1.098. Judge, meanwhile, is batting .150 (6-for-40) with 19 strikeouts, two home runs, six RBIs and an OPS of .605.

“I think he made mistakes against me,” Soto said of his match against Yamamoto, who knocked out Judge twice. “He made a few good throws on the first at-bat and then showed me everything. He showed me everything he could do on my first shot. So on my second shot I was prepared for anything. “I made a mistake and I just didn't miss it.”

Soto, always brimming with confidence, appears to have the playoffs under control. What stops Judge from achieving similar feats?

“He’s probably not doing too well right now,” Soto said. “It’s a difficult moment for him right now.”

The Yankees captain admitted he has expanded the strike zone because he has missed the world-class plate discipline that allowed him the most walks (133) in the major leagues this year. He added that his mechanics at the plate “achieved their goal” and that his encouraging attacks at the end of Game 1 did not carry over to Game 2. Judge said the struggles he's going through at the plate right now bear “a little comparison to the struggles he faced in April, when he started the year in the doldrums, hitting .207/.340/.414 in his first 31 games.” cut.

But the difference this time of year is that he doesn't have the buffer of a long season ahead of him to get his mechanics in order. The judge must make every pitch in the Bronx count, if not with a big hit, then at least with a walk. The presumptive AL MVP noted that Yamamoto gave him a pitch to hit in the sixth inning when he was up 2-0 and the Dodgers threw him a right-handed fastball down and in.

That's a pitch, Judge said, that he can usually prevail on. Instead, he kept his bat on his shoulder and watched as it went untouched for the first shot.

“Sometimes you want to try to let things happen instead of letting the game happen to you,” Judge said. “I think that’s what it really comes down to. You see Gleyber (Torres) out there on base, Juan goes on base and tries to make something happen. You're not going to get every pitch in the zone. So you have to do it.” Take your walks and prepare for Big G (Stanton).”

Judge puts a lot of pressure on himself to come through for his team. For the six-time All-Star, it was never about personal stats. What he cares about most is supporting the Yankees when they need him — and they've relied on Judge throughout his career to stay in control because he usually can. While Soto and Stanton are doing their part, the American League champions still need a judge if they want to become world champions.

“He has time to help us win some games,” Stanton said.

Sure, but not much. Judge must find a way to slow the game down so he can compress the zone and regain the plate discipline and power that make him one of the greatest hitters of this generation.

Ultimately, without him, the Yankees can't advance.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Deesha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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