Yankees win, setting the stage for a terrific week of baseball

The Yankees did not beat the Mariners today, but they won the game which is all that matters at this stage of the season.

Once again, the Yankees, with the exception of Masahiro Tanaka, who dazzled with seven innings of one-run ball, while striking out ten and allowing only one base-on-balls, muddled through a game offensively, but were aided by the Seattle Mariners, who muddled, even more, making five errors in the first inning when the Yankees scored six runs, five of them unearned.

The Yankees offense was not stagnant by any means as they pounded out fifteen hits, highlighted by Starlin Castro‘s four and the best little guy in baseball and the player who’s hitting .302 now, Ronald Torreyes, who cracked three more hits en route to a 10-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

Dig deeper in the box score, though, and you find a couple of stats that have plagued the Yankees all season. I didn’t think this was possible, but the Bombers went 6-22 with runners in scoring position, and they left ten men on base.

Don’t pile up on me; we won the game. I’m just saying there’s work left to be done with this team if indeed, they are destined to make a run in the playoffs. As of today, only the Cleveland Indians average more runners left in scoring position than the Yankees.

In the Second Season, you don’t get too many chances facing the best pitching in baseball, and therefore, capitalizing on those opportunities is a must. Just something to watch.

All arrows point up

But overall, today was a good day for the Yankees. They took what was given to them by the Mariners and finished the week with a respectable 4-2 record.

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Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles went into Fenway and swept the Red Sox, who have now lost four straight, leaving the Yankees only 2.5 games behind the Division leaders with a chance to upset the baseball world again when the Sox arrive at the Stadium for four games beginning this Thursday.

And in a season with this many ups and downs experienced by the Pinstripes, I’m not apologetic in saying I had some serious reservations about this team when they lost on Friday night after playing a near-perfect game.

Make no mistake, though. That’s baseball. And if you don’t buy into that, just ask the Red Sox who are on a plane bound for Toronto and wondering how in the hell the Orioles could beat us three straight in our home park.

Turning the page

In a matchup made in baseball heaven, the Yankees and Luis Severino take on the Corey Kluber and the Indians tomorrow night at the Stadium for the first of three games.

The Indians have won four straight themselves, having swept the disappointing Royals this weekend, and they now have a commanding lead of 6.5 games over the Twins and 9.5 over the all but eliminated Royals. Both teams are very alive, however, for the second spot in the Wild Card race, which now has six teams competing for the same place, including the Orioles.

The upcoming week is bound to be the week that was for the Yankees, Indians, and Red Sox. The games with the Red Sox get a star on them, but only because each game represents a two-game swing in the AL East Standings.

But the matchup with the Indians is equally as important for bragging rights and a confidence booster should the teams see each other in the ALCS.

Personally, the upcoming week is the reason I follow baseball closely as opposed to other sports. And in particular, after 130 games of a grueling six month season, the Yankees still matter. And this week matters a whole lot for the Pinstripes.

Next: Yankees farm report: Summer is ending, harvest just beginning

And when you think back to April 1, imagine that.

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