Anthony Rizzo describes the mood in Yankees locker room after loss vs Angels: "It’s hard to have fun when you’re getting your teeth kicked in"

The New York Yankees were hurt once more by Anthony Rizzo's difficulties at the plate. Since the MLB All-Star break, the Yankees have only managed one victory, and on Tuesday night, they were defeated 5-1 by the Los Angeles Angels.

Rizzo only went 0 for 4 with a strikeout against the Angels, whose starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval worked seven shutout innings, gave up only two hits, and struck out seven Yankees.

Anthony Rizzo spoke honestly to reporters after the game, discussing the team's offensive struggles:

"It’s hard to have fun when you’re getting your teeth kicked in.

"The mood's down for sure. I think we all expect definitely better of ourselves and individually as a team. And it's okay to be down right now. It's a close group, this is a low point we've been battling. This is part of the journey and the story of the 2023 season."

Anthony Rizzo is not alone in his struggles for the Yankees

In addition to Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu also performed poorly, going a combined 0 for 8 in the defeat to the Angels.

New York was also not helped by Domingo German's less-than-stellar performance, as he gave up five earned runs on four hits and three walks in 6.0 innings of work.

The Yankees will have to find a way to halt their skid without their biggest offensive threat, as Aaron Judge is still out of the starting lineup. They find themselves bottom of the AL East at 50-46 after going 2-8 in their last 10.

They will need to improve significantly if they are to make a playoff push and a lot of the pressure is currently on their pitchers.

The good news is that they have a chance for redemption immediately against the Angels, and then take on the struggling Kansas City Royals. The Royals find themselves 28-68 and bottom of the AL Central, so a three-game series sweep is possible.

After that, the Yankees have an exciting series against the New York Mets, another struggling side this season. The Mets are fourth in the NL East at 44-50, so there is still some hope for Yankees fans that they could save their season.