Yankees: Bird, Holliday, and Frazier to bring it home

 The Yankees have been fortified by the return of two key players in their lineup. They need one more jolt, though, and it could soon be arriving.

The Yankees appear to be looking at a stretch in their schedule when they will be missing Aaron Hicks, who went down last night with an oblique injury.

The last time the Yankees were in this position they called up Clint Frazier who added a spark to the lineup when it was needed.

The same scenario is likely to exist now and Frazier, who himself is about to return from a stint on the DL, could he the ignition to an offense that sorely needs it.

At this point in a season, it is not unusual for a team to need a pick-me-up to spell players who have weathered the grind of five months and 120 games.

The Red. Sox, for instance, have been propelled by the addition of Eduardo Nunez and rookie phenomenon, Rafael Devers, to their lineup and since then they have been off and running.

Meanwhile, the Yankees, with a somewhat older team have seen the wear and tear a season brings to players like Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Chase Headley.

And while we haven’t seen a big slide in their production of late, September is a long and grueling month, especially in the heat of a pennant race.

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The recent return of Greg Bird and Matt Holliday to the Yankees lineup is already bringing returns And more significantly perhaps; they are taking some of the pressure from Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.

At the same time, make no mistake, the bats of both players are needed for the Yankees to be firing on all cylinders.

Clint Frazier is the wild card, and his production, if it comes, can quickly push the team beyond the reach of their Wild Card competitors, and perhaps even the Red Sox.

At the same time, this presents Joe Girardi with a number of options when drawing up his lineup on any given night.

However, let the buyer beware as sooner or later, preferably sooner, Girardi needs to come up with a set lineup for the playoffs.

Due to multiple injuries and slumps, most notably by Judge, Girardi has been either hesitant or unable to do, despite numerous attempts to do so.

Cohesiveness is the key

Ideally, though, the Yankees need to be a cohesive and steady unit as they enter the Second Season. Seeing the same guy next to you every game for a couple of weeks can make a huge difference in the way the team plays in the field.

The Yankees needed a spark to revive what has been a feeble and inconsistent offense. Bird and Holliday are providing that.

Now, they need someone to come in there and turn it into a full blown four alarm blaze. Frazier could be that ignitor. But just as easily, so could Aaron Judge.

The Yankees rotation is settled and thriving, and ironically, is the least of their worries.

The only question remaining is the team’s ability to score runs, something that has all but disappeared in the second half of the season.

Next: Please, let's not start this with Aaron Judge

It all begins tonight and the need for the team to break through against the best left-hander in the American League, Chris Sale, by scoring enough runs with the offense they currently have, while riding the back of Luis Severino.

Baltimore is next, and there’s no time or games to waste.

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