State of the New York Yankees: August 5, 2010

Speaking in present terms, yesterday afternoon's game in the Bronx may have been one of the biggest games for the Yankees this season.

If you haven't heard yet, Alex Rodriguez finally hit his 600th career home run, snapping his 0-17 hitless streak after 12 straight games without a home run.  He also became the youngest player ever to join the 600 club (35 years and eight days old).  It is fair for one to call it quite an accomplishment.

Other Yankees also ended some hitless streaks, but these have flown under the radar due to the immense attention paid to Alex's hitless streak and chase of 600.

Brett Gardner snapped his 0-11 slump, Curtis Granderson broke his 0-10 skid, and, of all people, Robinson Cano broke his 0-13 slide.  The question is, did the Alex Rodriguez chase have an impact on his teammates?  These three Yankees were hitless during his chase, and they all got hits yesterday after Alex got his home run.  

Based on that information, it is fair for one to say that the 600 saga had a negative impact on his teammates.  The monkey was not only lifted off of Alex's back, but off of his teammates' backs as well.

But, more importantly, the Yankees themselves ended their three-game losing streak, and reclaimed first place in the American League East.  They are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the division lead after Tampa Bay suffered a 2-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins, a game that took 13 innings to play.

The Yankees also picked up a game on the Boston Red Sox, after the Red Sox fell to Cleveland, 9-1.  

With an off day today, the Yankees will get their rest and welcome the rival Red Sox to the Bronx on Friday for a four-game set.

This is a crucial series for both teams, but the Yankees are in an incredible position to do severe damage to their arch rivals.  The Red Sox are clinging for their lives, and this is a pivotal series, perhaps the most important series of the year thus far for Boston.

Regardless of the outcome of the series, the Yankees have ensured themselves that they will remain on top of the Red Sox in the standings with the big win yesterday.

And the Yankees are primed to do such damage to Boston.  With Mark Teixeira swinging a hot bat, and with the pressure of 600 off of Alex Rodriguez, look for the big guys to have a big say this series.

It has been awhile since these two teams have matched up, but this series will have a little something extra.  The Yankees have a golden opportunity to shove the Red Sox closer to their fall off the cliff that is the 2010 season.