Time To Show and Prove, Yankees Look To Get Back On The Winning Track

The baseball season is reaching it’s halfway mark, which means it’s time for teams around the majors to start getting realistic about their chances to make the playoffs in the fall. Despite the shaky start to their season, the Yankees have recently put themselves on the path to securing another playoff berth. Their ten-game win streak pushed them right back to the top of the American League East. However, they ran into some trouble at home and after dropping two out of three to the Atlanta Braves, they now get to resume their Subway Series with the New York Mets. It’s the ideal time for the Yankees to make a statement to everyone watching. This is a series they need to win.

The key to having team success is consistency. While the Yankees were pulling off win after win to get back into first place, the team was getting consistent pitching that wasn’t there to start the season. The offense was delivering key hits at the right time instead of waiting for the big home run from one of their studs in the lineup.

Eventually all good things come to an end and the Yankees ran into an Atlanta Braves team that just had their number this time out. However, losing those two games to the Braves may have been just what the Yankees needed. Winning ten games in a row, had many touting the Yankees as the best team in baseball. They come into their series against the Mets losers of two straight and if they don’t play well over the weekend in Flushing, it will provide the opening their doubters and critics need to question them again. It doesn’t help either that the Mets will be looking to avenge getting swept by the Yankees earlier this month at Yankee Stadium.

If it’s really about consistency, then the Yankees have the right pitchers lined up to face the Mets. Andy Pettitte has stabilized the rotation since his return. Ivan Nova has been dominant on the mound in Interleague Play and CC Sabathia has been steady in his role as the ace. That’s a pretty good formula for a team looking to get back into their winning groove.

There will be peaks and valleys in the regular season. The Yankees are in the midst of their longest stretch so far this season of playing winning baseball. Fans are seeing how good this team can be once their clicking on all cylinders. However, those two losses to Atlanta showed flaws that were apparent during their struggles earlier in the season. If the Yankees have truly turned the corner from those struggles, then they should be able to find a way to get right back on the winning track. It’s what winning teams do to keep the doubters from doubting. They show and prove.