New York Yankees Notes: First Place and More

The Tampa Bay Rays lost last night which puts them in a tie with the Yankees. Both teams have three games left to play, but the Yankees need  a better overall record as the Rays would come out ahead in the event of a tie because they have a better head-to-head record.

Here are some notes:

• Make no mistake, manager Joe Girardi still has his eyes on the AL Eastern division.

• The playoff rotation is not set beyond CC Sabathia. Andy Pettitte starts tonight and A.J. Burnett starts tomorrow which favors Pettitte getting a game two start, but Girardi has not committed to that.

• The Twins may end up being the Yankees first-round opponent, but they will be without Justin Morneau until the ALCS.

• The Yankees acquired Kerry Wood over the Red Sox because they were willing to take on more of his contract than the Sox were.

• It’s raining a ton here in New York as I write this which may make its way up to Boston tonight and cause a rain out. In that event there is likely to be a double-header on Sunday.

A big loss for the Rays last night, but they are playing the Royals over their final three games. That gives them a pretty good chance to win the next three. That puts a lot of pressure on the Yankees, they must sweep the Red Sox in order to come out on the top of this division.

Related Stories

• August 30, 2010 -- Yankees: Worst Rotation, Best Bullpen Last 30 Days
• August 27, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: Girardi, Wood, Laird
• August 23, 2010 -- Trades of Kearns and Wood Working Out; Berkman Not So Much
• August 14, 2010 -- Yankees Bullpen is Red Hot

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