That's the type of intensity the New York Yankees September schedule will bring. Especially in these next eleven games coming up with the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
Yankees just swept the Chicago White Sox, which was much needed and must needed. After Sunday's heartbreaking lost against the Orioles last Sunday and having to play these upcoming games, Yankees could not afford one lost against a last place team, like the White Sox.
September 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. Starting tonight, the Yankees start a four-game series against the rival Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. And what worries me about this series, is that the Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Indians will have an easy schedule coming up. Baltimore will see the White Sox, Cleveland will see the New York Mets and the Rays will see the Los Angeles Angels tonight and the Seattle Mariners this weekend.
New York will enter this four-game set with the Bosox, 8.0 games back in the A.L East. At best, they can leave this series being 4.0 games back -- but that's if they sweep. But if they take two from three, they'll be 6.0 games back, with three games left to play against them at Boston. Being 6.0 games back won't be anything to yell about, but being 4.0 games back in the East by the end of this series, can raise some eyebrows.
We seen the Yankees sweep big four-game series in late August, before. Can it happen again, but in September?
Yankees just need to get out of this home series against the Red Sox, alive. With the Rays, Orioles and Indians playing sub .500 teams this weekend, and the Yankees playing first place Boston, it puts the Yankees in a tough position to have to win three from four.
After this weekend, everything will be okay. Because the Rays will see the Red Sox and Orioles play the Yanks. So everything will be balanced.
Starting next week, on Monday, Tampa Bay has an off-day, but the Yankees play; they play against the Orioles, starting a four-game series at Baltimore. That means the Yankees can gain a game on Tampa and push back the Orioles in wild card. That would be big, though tough to do.
The home Red Sox series doesn't look as bad as the four-game Baltimore series, just the fact that the Orioles are more hungry to beat the Yanks since they're chasing New York in the wild card and the Orioles will be at home for four games.
If the Yankees can get out of the home series against Boston, alive, that'll be big. But if they can get out of Baltimore alive, that will be a big relief. Because after that, the Yankees play sub teams. And I know they have the Red Sox again, at Fenway after the Oriole series, but I'm not too worried about that series if the Yankees make out okay from these two series.
That Fenway series next weekend could be interesting, if, the Yankees are 4.0 or 5.0 games out of the East.
The Yanks could takeover the second wild card, next week in the Orioles series.
It's put up or shut up, time. The dog days of September have begun. These are the two weeks that will officially, no question, make or break their season. It can seriously 'make' or 'break' their chances entering October. We'll see how bad the Yankees want it.
