BEN RICE SAVES THE DAY, BUT CASHMAN’S MESS IS STILL HERE

The Yankees escaped Toronto with a 4-3 win in 10 innings Sunday, and thank God for Ben Rice, because without him we're talking about getting swept and another humiliating chapter in this maddening season.

Rice made an error in the ninth, then did what competitors do — he responded. His two-run homer in the 10th saved the Yankees' asses and got them out of Toronto with something.

But let's not pretend everything is fine. This Yankee offense is a disgrace.

They scored two runs in the first two games of this series. Two! It's August. This is supposedly a championship contender, yet we're still watching pitchers being asked to be nearly perfect because the lineup disappears for entire games.

Enough with hard-hit balls, exit velocity and Aaron Boone telling us how close everybody is.

SCORE. THE. DAMN. RUNS. And then there's Brian Cashman.

Cashman knew this offense desperately needed help, and his answer was Heliot Ramos. The Yankees gave up Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent, and through Ramos' first eight games in pinstripes he was 2-for-25 with 10 strikeouts.

That's not reinforcement. That's dead weight.

Then against Toronto, Ramos didn't even hustle out of the box on a ball the Blue Jays misplayed. Seriously? You're struggling, your new team can't score, you're trying to prove you belong — and you can't bust your ass down the line?

This is Cashman all over again. Find the distressed asset. Find the hidden value. Find the guy whose underlying numbers suggest something wonderful might eventually happen.

How about finding somebody who can actually freaking hit? The Yankees don't need another project. They need runs.

Ben Rice saved them Sunday, and good for him. But one huge swing doesn't erase the bigger problem.

The offense can't score. Boone keeps preaching patience. Cashman keeps collecting projects. And Yankee fans keep being told it's all eventually going to click.

Enough.

It's August.

Stop explaining the offense and start scoring some damn runs.