A reminder for the 2012 Yankees; nothing comes easy

The New York Yankees were about due for a big game from their high-powered offense. The division leaders received the power surge they needed from their star-studded lineup, defeating the second-place Baltimore Orioles 12-3 on Wednesday to salvage one game from their three-game series at the Stadium.

For the past couple of weeks, the Yankees have been losing games at an alarming rate. To make it even more intriguing was that the other teams in the division were winning ball games and slowly yet surely picking up ground on them in the standings.

The month of July wasn’t kind to the Yankees. They finished the month with a .500 record at 13-13 and lost Alex Rodriguez to injury for an extended amount of time and they are holding their collective breaths with Mark Teixeira‘s wrist injury.

The bright side would be that it’s a new month and despite their recent slump, the Yankees still hold a solid grip on first place in the AL East.

The flip side to that coin is that the road will not get any easier going down the stretch. The Yankees have to do battle this month with potential playoff teams Detroit, Chicago, and Texas. They also have another trip to Boston.

If the Yankees are to take anything from their recent slump, it’s that it should be considered as a wake-up call. The injuries have hurt, however this team has consistently found a way to overcome that. They are still the best team in the division and arguably the best team in baseball. However, nothing is guaranteed.

The Orioles are still in striking distance and are clearly an improved ball club; and despite all of their struggles in 2012, the Red Sox are still in the mix and beginning to play better baseball. The Yankees will get the opportunity to settle business in their division in September. The first three weeks of that month are all against division opponents.

If the Yankees want the division title, it won’t be handed to them this year as many of us might have already concluded. This team has had their wake up call and now it’s time to put July in the rear-view mirror. There is more than enough at stake.