Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees

A couple of days removed from the nailbiting loss in the series finale against the Braves, manager Aaron Boone spoke frankly on Tuesday about the quiet stretch that the Yankees’ offense has found itself in recently -- one that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Entering the opener vs. the Mariners, the club’s post-All-Star break stretch has been a slog with the bats: It was collectively hitting .199 (last in the Majors) with a .625 OPS (29th). Still, even Boone’s honest assessment was tinged with a certain level of optimism that has felt like the manager’s trademark skill during his tenure. “Been a struggle -- several weeks now where it’s been difficult for us scoring runs, an area we’ve got to be better, and we know that,” Boone said. “The good thing is that we’ve had to play in a lot of really close games day in and day out, and \[we’ve\