Here's a fun example on what's being talked about.
In the 2007 regular season the Yankees swept Cleveland 6-0, outscoring them 49-17.
In the 2007 ALDS Cleveland beat the Yankees 3-1.
Houck seemed to take the brunt of it, probably because Duran had just been called up recently.
Anyway, what Kimmi was talking about was "deserved", not "expected".
They're losing for a multiplicity of reasons. Having Eovaldi, Whitlock, Wacha and Hill all back would certainly help.
Losing Sale again hurts.
I don't see any reason for big optimism for the 2022 team.