The Yankees are about to enter a very crucial stretch in their season, playing the Rays, Jays and the hated rival Red Sox. The current series finale vs. Tampa Bay is about to get underway, and as the hero from last night Robinson Cano put it, "It feels like a playoff." It was a big win, because now the Yankees are assured to leave Tampa Bay in first place.
Today, it's CC Sabathia vs James Sheilds as the Yanks go for the series win. Personally, I think this is a huge game for the Yankees.
Tampa Bay is clearly not going away this season. Picking up a game over Tampa will only help the Yanks in the long run. Remember, the Yankees play Tampa Bay seven times in September, so this race is far from over.
After the Yankees finish this series, they travel back home to play the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto is not a team to overlook. Even if they are not “in” the playoff race as of today, they are no slouch of a team. They have tremendous pop in their lineup, notably Jose Bautista—who leads the majors in HR’s with 31.
As good as the Rays are—and even how they are emerging as a rival for the Yankees—this next series has been one marked on Yankee fans’ calendars for quite some time.
The Yankees vs Red Sox. Four game series in Yankee Stadium.
Speaking as a true Yankee fan, this is a huge series for our men in pinstripes. Whenever the Yankees and Red Sox match up, anything can happen. As of right now, the Red Sox are 7.5 games out of the AL East, and 5.5 behind the Rays for the wild card.
But the Red Sox are not dead.
They have proven that they are a gritty team that backs down from no challenge. And a challenge is what they have in front of them.
The Yankees may be in a great position to dish a huge blow to their hated rivals by taking three out of four or even sweeping this next series. But like the Rays, the Yankees play the Red Sox six times in September. They therefore must pounce on any opportunity they have to gain ground on the Sox.
The Yankees have 5 wins again the Red Sox this season, and hopefully by the end of this week, they will have at least seven.
AROD WATCH
Alex Rodriguez is not in the lineup today against Tampa Bay. As Joe Girardi put it, “He’s played 13 days in a row. We have to keep him strong” (Bryan Hoch Twitter). Look on the bright side, he may well get his wish to hit his 600th home run at Yankee Stadium.
My Predictions for the next stretch
Yankees win today vs Tampa, take two out of three against Toronto and split the series against the Red Sox. But as all of us Yankee fans know, courtesy of John Sterling: “You just can’t predict baseball.”
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