All is not well with The Evil Empire.

 

The Yankees wrapped up a road trip to Denver and Anaheim with a loss Wednesday. They went 1-5 on the excursion out west.

 

The defeat dropped the Yankees to 50-47 and deeper into last place in the American League East. The Bronx Bombers are searching everywhere for answers.

 

New York's prized acquisition last offseason, Carlos Rodon, has not yet provided any answers. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings Wednesday against the Angels, giving up six runs (all earned) on four hits and five walks in his team's 7-3 loss. It was the left-hander's second consecutive start allowing four or more runs.

 

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Why did Carlos Rodon blow a kiss to hecklers?

After the Angels' third and fourth runs of the game crossed the plate in the second inning, Rodon had to withstand heckling from Yankee fans in attendance as he walked back to the dugout.

 

Rodon responded by appearing to let his frustration boil over. He acknowledged the fans and blew them a sarcastic kiss on his way off the field.

 

I guess it was the best I could give," Rodon told reporters in the clubhouse after the game, per YES Network. "But better not to give a reaction, I guess. But just one of those things. I was frustrated, and better to blow a kiss or not do anything at all. Just a frustrating outing, that's for sure, and I showed it there in the second early."

 

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When asked what was said to him, Rodon said that he didn't know.

 

"No, I didn't really pay mind to what exactly was said, but, you know, a fan was angry, as they should be. I'm angry, too. And I was just angry at myself and blew a kiss, unfortunately."

 

Yankees manager Aaron Boone also addressed the matter after the game.

 

"Tough for him to be out and then he comes back and had a rough go of it today," Boone said. "He wants to help this team turn it around and I think probably that prevented him from doing something he didn't want to do, which is yell at a fan or yell at somebody.

 

"Not the reaction you want, and we've talked about it. But when you're in the arena and you're going through it, sometimes you do things you don't necessarily want to engage in. And hopefully he'll learn from that and move on. But I think it's better than getting into a shouting match or doing something that he would regret."

 

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In three starts since being activated from injured list, Rodon has allowed 12 runs on 12 hits in 14 2/3 innings, with nine walks and 11 strikeouts. His ERA is 7.36.

 

Rodon wasn't the only Yankees player who let emotions get the better of him Wednesday. Reliever Tommy Kahnle fired his glove at a fan (the oscillating kind, not the human kind) and proceeded to stomp it when it fell to the ground.

 

Boone talked to Kahnle in the dugout afterward, but the manager said the conversation wasn't about the blowup.

 

The Yankees' playoff chances are slipping further and further away. The Rays and Orioles top the East by a large margin, and the Red Sox and Blue Jays look a level above the Yankees, who have lost nine of their last 11 games. Aaron Judge is still out as he recovers from a torn ligament in his toe, but with how things are going, getting him back only addresses one piece of New York's web of struggles.