New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Why series against Rays is so critical for Yankees

By Gerrit Ritt | Last updated 5/12/23

It's May, barely a month into the Major League Baseball season, but for the New York Yankees, a team with World Series aspirations, the season has already reached a critical juncture.

Heading into Friday's game against first-place Tampa Bay, the last-place Yankees are nine games back in the AL East — the best division in baseball. On Thursday, the Yankees fell to the Rays, 8-2.

"They can do some things we can't do," Yankees manager Aaron Boone admitted recently.

Aaron Boone, asked about the #Rays thriving despite a small payroll, said, "They can do some things we can’t do.”

That led to the following questions & answers, which I thought were pretty interesting coming from the #Yankees' manager: pic.twitter.com/QjugC0MTjl
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) May 5, 2023

If the Yankees lose again to Tampa Bay (30-9) — by far the best team in baseball record-wise — they'll be 10 games back in the division. Teams have overcome double-digit deficits to win pennants/divisions before, but it's a tough assignment.

Chasing the Rays is hard enough, but chasing four teams to win your own division is a steep climb. Second-place Baltimore is 24-13, a record that would lead the other two American League divisions. The Red Sox (22-16), meanwhile, have won eight of their past 10.

Just keeping their heads above the .500 mark is an achievement for New York, which has an AL-high $279 million payroll. (Tampa Bay's payroll is roughly $74 million-plus, per Spotrac.)

Three-fifths of New York's original starting staff — Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas — is sidelined with injuries.

Struggling Giancarlo Stanton, out with a hamstring issue, has played just 13 games. Last season's AL MVP, Aaron Judge, only recently came off a 10-game stint on the injured list.

On Friday, the Yankees will start Gerrit Cole (5-0, 2.09 ERA) against the Rays, who have a 7-2 record against New York's ace, per StatMuse. If the Yankees fall, they'll be staring at Tampa Bay starters Shane McClanahan and Zach Eflin over the weekend. Their combined record is 11-1.

No game in May can be labeled a must-win, but Friday's game in the Bronx is as close as one can get for New York.

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