Yankees Should Look to Collect Wins Over Next 10 Games

Coming off a 5-2 homestand, the Yankees seem to be headed in the right direction.

Despite their 31-33 record, just two games below .500, the Bronx Bombers showed some signs of life last week at Yankee Stadium.

They scored runs consistently, pitched well and had the look of a team that is ready to turn the corner.

Over the next 12 days, the Yankees will embark on a 10-game stretch where they will play three games against the Colorado Rockies (31-33) and seven games against the Minnesota Twins (20-44).

With Colorado and Minnesota both sitting below .500, the Yankees will see some favorable matchups that should lead to more victories.

The Yankees recently revitalized offense should be able to feast against the Rockies subpar pitching staff.

Colorado ranks near the bottom of the National League in a number of team pitching categories including ERA, batting average against and strikeouts.

While offensive consistency has been a huge problem for New York all season long, the numbers from last week’s seven-game homestand were rather encouraging.

During those games, the Yankees slugged out 35 runs on 64 hits. Their .281 batting average as team was the best in the American League during that span.

If his ailing left knee doesn’t keep him out of the lineup, look for Carlos Beltran to continue his hot hitting.

In June, Beltran is hitting .326 with four home runs and 13 RBIs.

Beltran and the rest of the Yankees hitters have the potential to keep scoring runs against the Rockies struggling hurlers.

On the other hand, the Yankees should look for their pitching staff to guide them to wins against the Twins.

Offense has been a struggle for the Twins thus far.

Minnesota is one of three teams in the American League that has scored less runs than the Yankees this season.

Additionally, the Twins rank 13th in the AL in OBP and 14th in RBIs.

Surprisingly, most of the Yankees starting pitchers had strong outings during the homestand.

Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia each lasted seven innings in their respective starts.

Masahiro Tanaka also went seven innings when he took the mound against the Los Angeles Angels on June 6.

Sabathia’s effort was perhaps the most impressive of the bunch.

The 35-year-old left-hander surrendered five hits and struck out four over seven shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers.

After not giving up a run in his last two starts, Sabathia’s ERA has dropped to 2.28 this season.

Expect Sabathia and the rest of the Yankees rotation to keep the Twins offense stuck in neutral.

With the All-Star break looming, it is crucial for the Yankees to continue to ride the momentum of their most recent homestand and rack up wins against inferior competition.

The next 10 games will be a good indicator of whether or not the Bronx Bombers are a serious contender in the highly competitive AL East.