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The New York Yankees are staring at a daunting 2-0 deficit in the World Series following two disheartening losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their latest defeat, a 4-2 setback on Saturday night, saw their offense struggle to ignite until the ninth inning, when their late rally proved insufficient. Game 2's limp showing compounded the regret over their Game 1 loss, which was punctuated by critical defensive errors and questionable strategic choices.

As the series shifts to The Bronx for Game 3 on Monday night, the Yankees’ season hangs by a thread. They also await updates on Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's shoulder, as he suffered a subluxation attempting to steal second base in the eighth inning on Saturday.

One glaring issue for the Yankees has been the performance of Aaron Judge. A frontrunner for AL MVP, Judge has had a dismal showing so far, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 2. His October struggles have seen him go 1-for-9 in the World Series and amass a striking 6-for-40 with 19 strikeouts this postseason. This slump is reminiscent of his early-season struggles in April, a stark contrast to his record-breaking regular season.

Judge's inability to deliver in crucial moments has been particularly deflating. During the regular season, he excelled in the first inning, hitting 18 of his 58 home runs and batting .359 with a 1.307 OPS. However, in the first innings of these playoffs, he is 0-for-10 with six strikeouts and a hit by pitch, failing to convert with runners in scoring position.

The Yankees’ perceived pitching advantage has also failed to materialize. Carlos Rodon's brief 3 ⅓ innings in Game 2, where he was outperformed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 6 ⅓ innings of one-hit, one-run ball, left much to be desired. Rodon struggled with his fastball, which resulted in three home runs, including back-to-back shots from Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman.

In contrast, the Dodgers have benefitted from stellar starting pitching, with Jack Flaherty and Yamamoto delivering under pressure. Despite the Yankees having a deeper rotation, their bullpen has already logged 8 ⅓ innings compared to the Dodgers' 7 ⅓ innings in the series.

The strategic choices of Yankees' management are also under the microscope. Lefty reliever Tim Hill, who was controversially left unused in a crucial moment in Game 1, performed admirably in his Game 2 appearance, retiring four straight batters on 14 pitches. This performance only deepens the second-guessing of Friday’s decisions.

Adding salt to the wound, several key Dodgers players tormenting the Yankees are ones they had shown interest in acquiring, such as Flaherty and Edman at the trade deadline, and Yamamoto last offseason. Yamamoto, in particular, has had their number, delivering seven shutout innings against them in June and another stellar performance on Saturday.

Juan Soto has been a bright spot for the Yankees, hitting four home runs this postseason, each one either tying the game or giving his team the lead. Despite his efforts, they now face a steep uphill battle, with history suggesting an 80.4 percent chance of a 2-0 World Series lead resulting in a championship. The Yankees will hope to defy the odds as they have in the past, having twice come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the World Series against the Dodgers in 1978 and 1956.