More telling, though, is that over a longer period, dating to May 9, the Yankees have posted a record of only 17-20. The young lineup is having trouble on the road, and the starting rotation is fraying a bit, which might be expected.

Only Masahiro Tanaka’s 6.34 earned run average can really be considered an unhappy surprise. Luis Severino and Michael Pineda have been largely productive, and other pitching maladies have been fairly predictable. The rotation was thin from the start, and became thinner with C. C. Sabathia’s hamstring problem.

Such frailty was factored into predictions for the Yankees’ season before April. Now, however, it has been much tougher for fans to watch as a four-game lead on the Boston Red Sox in the American League East dissolved during the course of a week. Presumably, it is just as tough on Cashman, who must make the decision — with Hal Steinbrenner’s ultimate approval — whether to ship out one or more of the Yankees’ minor league prospects in a midseason deal for a starting pitcher.

For now, Cashman insists he will not be swayed by the standings.

“I think we’ll stay the course,” he said Monday. “We’ve mapped out a strategy. We’re keeping it very simple, as we always try to. We don’t want to overcomplicate things. We’re trying to address our needs. We just want to keep doing it our way.”

Cashman said that the team’s No. 1 need at the moment might be a left-handed reliever, “an area of weakness.” When it comes to the rotation, he said, “we’re more apt to stay with what we have within.”