Seven weeks before the end of the regular season, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone will have to work harder to secure a place in the MLB playoffs, and the rest of August has to be almost perfect for them to have any hope of not missing out on a place in the autumn games. However, of the 22 games that have been played in the second half of the season, the New York team has only won nine and lost 13.
Their most important rival at the moment is not the Boston Red Sox, their biggest concern is the Cleveland Guardians, who are half a game away from the Yankees dropping into the elimination zone. Similarly, the Guardians have won 15 games and lost only seven. With these numbers, it has been predicted that this week there will be a change of positions where the Guardians will occupy the last wild card spot, while the Yankees will be out of the playoffs.
Which teams dominate MLB over the New York Yankees?
The New York Yankees are 62-56 while the Cleveland Guardians are 61-56, dangerously close to supplanting the Yankees’ playoff position. Ironically, the New Yorkers were the favorites in the American League East, with a seven-game lead. Now, that spot belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays, with a 69-50 record and a firm postseason position. The other division leaders are the Detroit Tigers (68-51) in the Central Division and the Houston Astros (66-52) in the West.
Comparatively, both leagues are competitive and each of the division leaders looks attractive with the Milwaukee Brewers (73-44), leaders of the National League, boasting the best record in MLB, and the Philadelphia Phillies (68-49) in the Central and Los Angeles Dodgers (68-50) in the West hot on their heels. Similarly, the Yankees have lost a great deal of offensive ability and their play has been far from that of the teams at the top of each MLB zone.
What has happened to the New York Yankees to lose prominence?
The Bronx team is currently having problems on both sides of the ball. While their bullpen has been strengthened, especially with the addition of former Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar, the starting rotation has been struggling. Max Fried, who was one of the Yankees’ best at the start of the season, now has a 6.00 ERA in his last seven games. Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole needed Tommy John surgery and will not play until 2026, and Luis Gil’s first game after his rehabilitation was complicated.
Then there are the errors. Shortstop Anthony Volpe leads the league with 16 errors this season, and the team has faced embarrassing videos of missed throws at each of its positions on and off the diamond. Finally, on offense, Aaron Judge has not regained his form after a visit to the 10-day disabled list. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not producing runs and is not getting on base. Despite having some of the best offensive statistics in the league, the Yankees simply fail to execute their plays and win games consistently.
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