AL East

It only took six days for Joe Girardi to finally realize the Yankees needed to start winning games or they wouldn't be going to the playoffs.

Count yourself extremely fortunate, denizens of Yankee Universe.

Had your team not found a way to dig itself out of Mariano Rivera's mess on Sunday night, you'd be suffering through a brutally painful Monday morning.

If Robbie Cano was unable to pad his MVP resume with a game-tying RBI single off Jonathan Papel-blown in the ninth; if Juan Miranda couldn't heroically draw a bases-loaded walk off Hideki OkanIgobackto2007 in the 10th, your team's little slump would have quickly transitioned to a national story.

Bill Hall did all he could, helping put Boston in the lead against Mariano Rivera (foreground), but his Red Sox ultimately fell, their playoff chances taking a huge blow. Photo: daylife)

With the great run the Orioles have had this year, they could be an above-.500 team next year. 

However, it will take a few things to make sure that happens—the biggest of which is a power hitter.

When the calendar finally reaches April of 2011, the Orioles will be back to being the team that is expected to make at least a little noise in the AL East.

In recent weeks a lot has been made about the American League Cy Young award and the debate has mostly surrounded CC Sabathia vs. Felix Hernandez. Last night the Yankees were blanked by Jon Lester and it was an amazing performance that should put him into that conversation as well.

First, let’s get some stats out of the way:

Major League Baseball’s regular season is winding down and the playoff teams are getting ready for the postseason.

BetPhoenix has the latest odds for the MLB playoffs and the World Series. During the playoffs, any team can surprise and make it to the World Series, but it takes solid pitching, great hitting, and a little bit of luck to bring home the trophy.

Here is a look at the teams in the American League and their chances to win a World Series.

In 2009, the New York Yankees treated each game with the same sense of urgency.

Winning wasn't just the team’s job, it was what each player wanted and there were no excuses. The pattern was if one Yankee player’ slumped, another teammate or multiple would pick up the slack.

It was no BS baseball, but that intensity is not lost even after four losses in a row.

Ivan Nova had a tough time at it in the Bronx tonight as the Red Sox lit him up for four runs which was more than enough for Jon Lester who shut the Yankees out over seven innings in an eventual 7-3 Yankee loss.

Here are some highlights:

In this past off-season, the New York Yankees needed a bat.  Having no Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon, they need someone to fill an outfield void.  So, they did what they always do: they got who they wanted.

This past Monday, the New York Yankees unveiled the largest plaque ever displayed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium, a seven-by-five-foot, 760-pound monument dedicated to the Yankees long-time owner, George Steinbrenner, towers over the plaques dedicated to Yankee legends Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio.

Some people believe that the monument is too large. Others believe that the plaque is appropriate.