Aaron Boone said the Yankees have reached "gut check time." But this has gone on for months, not weeks. They're 25-32 since May 29, including three series sweeps: June 13-15 at Boston, June 30-July 3 at Toronto, and this weekend in Miami.

Instead, the eighth-year manager, who almost always tries to display the even-keeled nature he wants his team to emulate, has had a shift in tone with more urgency in recent days as this two-month stretch of sub-.500 play by the Yankees grows deeper and the number of remaining games grows smaller.

The New York Yankees have not played well recently and are starting to drop out of the postseason picture. Aaron Boone commented on the struggles.