Yankees' season 'on the line' as they look to turn their 2021 campaign around

• The Yankees are in fourth place and 6.5 games out of first place in the AL East.
• Manager Aaron Boone was blunt about his team's current situation: 'Our season is on the line.'
• The Yankees host the Angels and Mets this week.

NEW YORK — The Yankees are approaching the halfway point of the season as a team that's still trying to find some form of consistency, still trying to become the type of force it expected to be back in spring training. 

So far, their struggles have persisted. A lackluster offense, an up-and-down pitching staff. Sloppiness on the bases and in the field. 

All of that has added up to an underwhelming and disappointing first three months of the season, exacerbated by a three-game sweep at the hands of the rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park over the weekend. 

The Yankees need to find their way.

And fast. 

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"The good news is we are still in complete control of the script," manager Aaron Boone said Monday before his club began a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. "But I don’t think there’s any question moving forward that night in and night out, our season’s on the line. Win or lose tonight, we have to come with that same mindset the next day and the next day. Hopefully we find that consistency that I know is in there."

That consistency has been elusive. 

The Yankees have been good for some stretches, bad for others. They've beaten up on some bad teams, struggled against good ones. 

For a team that was constructed to compete for a championship, it's been a alarming trend. 

Boone has maintained positivity and patience all season despite the challenges surrounding him, and that didn't change Monday. 

Yet he also didn't ignore the obvious urgency. 

"We’ve had too many ups and downs, we’re in too good of a division to have those ups and downs obviously continue," Boone said. "We can’t afford to play great for two weeks and struggle for a week. Not if we’re going to make up ground."

The Yankees entered the day three games over .500 (40-37) and 6½ games behind the American League East-leading Red Sox and 5½ games back of the second Wild Card spot. 

Not exactly where they expected to be in late June. 

What's become clear is that the Yankees need help — either via trade as the deadline gets closer, or even from within the organization by bringing someone like outfielder Estevan Florial or the versatile Hoy Jun Park up from the minor leagues. 

"We talk about our organization and what guys are doing," Boone said. "Certainly aware of guys having really strong seasons in the minor leagues. So those players come up and we have those conversations. In the end, we’re trying to do what we think is best not only for guys in their development, but what do we think is the answer to allowing us to be the best team we can be. That’s ultimately the driver of any decisions."

However the Yankees do it, their next three months cannot look like the last three. Or else they risk being on the outside looking in once the postseason arrives. 

There's still plenty of time to turn things around, though that time could run out quickly. 

"We’re a team that expects to compete for a championship," Boone said. "We’re getting to the middle of the season. There’s a lot of calendar that’s gone off the clock already. I don’t think we’ll ever really be accused of not being patient enough. We’re trying to make solid evaluations, make honest evaluations, coupled with the patience that I think we’ve shown and the belief that we have in the guys in that room to do something special. I certainly believe that’s absolutely still in there."