Brian Cashman does not normally get in front of a podium in front of a packed interview room until after the season ends, often after a loss in a postseason series when the Yankees fall short of reaching and winning their 28th World Series title.

These days are not normal times for the Yankees, who are five games under for the second time in 36 hours in a season where Fangraphs gave them a MLB-best 81.2 percent chance to make the playoffs when the season began with Anthony Volpe’s debut on March 30 against the Giants.

The Yankees experienced late season slumps before such as the August swoon that came in last year’s 99-win campaign or the span of 15 losses in 18 games late in 2000 before winning the third straight World Series ahead of a nine-year title drought which must feel tame to the 14-year drought, especially with a $275 million payroll.

These days Cashman and others are speaking in terms such as “disaster” and “frustrated”. Disaster was what Cashman labeled the team he created along with 29 injured list stints, which is four less than last year’s.

“It’s been a disaster this season, and yes, definitely a shock,” Cashman said. “Certainly, I don't think anybody on our side of the fence, from our player group, coaches, manager, or even outside the organization, would have predicted this.”

Cashman spoke about two hours before Aaron Judge began his first three-homer game and saved the Yankees from being compared to the 1913 team who lost 13 straight along the way to a 57-94 season with a roster that struck out 617 times, batted .237 and hit eight homers.

Instead of the first 10-game losing streak in 110 years – something so long ago the Yankees played at the Polo Grounds and Babe Ruth was an 18-year-old in Baltimore – the Yankees are on a run of 10 losses in 11 games with the last three coming in the late innings.

The Yankees now have 35 games to ensure they won’t finish with a losing record for the first time since 1992, though it’s doubtful anyone would boast about keeping the streak by going 82-80 or 83-79. Those are marks that require at least 21 wins and the Yankees are not showing to be a team capable of winning very often since they only own 12 wins since July 4 and 24 wins since getting to the highwater mark of 11 games over on June 4 – the day after Judge fractured his right toe at Dodger Stadium.

“I feel like we've been frustrated a lot this year,” said Michael King, who is starting because the Yankees lacked pitching depth. “We're doing our work. We're trying to stick with our routine, trying to turn this thing around. It just didn't all come together, and that's when you know you're going through it. When the pitchers do well, the hitters aren't; when the hitters are doing well, the pitchers aren’t. It's tough that way.”

Those kind of things were often heard about a month ago when the Mets decided to sell off many significant pieces, notably Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

It is the kind of comments often uttered by opponents playing out the string after losing to the Yankees but this year has turned upside down on all fronts for a team expected to be closing in on a division title or engaging in a competitive postseason race.

“You have to be a realist with how far we’re back now from the wild card, who we’re chasing,” injured first baseman Anthony Rizzo softly said Wednesday. “We’re certainly not out of it, but we have a very, very long shot from being in it.”

In fact, the Yankees are further away from being in it than the Nationals, who seem to possess a realistic chance at overtaking the Mets for fourth place in the NL East. The Nationals are on the kind of run the Yankees could never get on with 14 wins in 20 games, eight one-run wins this month and 12 wins when trailing after six.

The latest came on an emotional day when they learned popular outfielder Stone Garrett broke his left fibula after going all out to make a play at the wall on Wednesday and then heard reports about Stephen Strasburg retiring because his body betrayed him with the array of injuries that has limited him to 528 pitches since winning the MVP award in the 2019 World Series and signing a $245 million, seven-year contract following that season.

"I can tell you this team has become one unit," manager Dave Martinez said about four and half hours before his team’s latest win "They play with a lot of heart, with a lot of passion. They're starting to understand how to play for one another, which is great."

Then after the win which featured two late homers and a stumbling catch to secure the final out, Martinez said: “Resilient, that's what these guys are,"

It is a complete opposite description of the Yankees, resulting in a 35-game scramble to avoid a losing record.