Yankees Survive Biggest Test Before October

One of the key reasons the Yankees navigated the gauntlet with a winning record is a triumvirate of great starting pitching in Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Luis Gil. Fried was every bit the ace he was touted to be. In 19.1 IP, he went 3-0 in three games. He had a 2.79 ERA. Carlos Rodon was also spectacular when he took the mound. Rodon pitched twice and had a 2.25 ERA.

Then, Gil, last year's rookie of the year, also kept the ball rolling. He won both of his starts and had a .75 ERA. His starts don't tell the whole story, though, because he weaved in and out of trouble at Fenway Park, and his strikeout stuff was non-existent in his outing against the Blue Jays. This led to a 4.56 expected ERA, whereas Fried had a 2.67 xERA and Rodon had a 3.19.

The bats as a whole did their job. It wasn't their best work, but it was enough to get them over the hump and to the comfortable part of their schedule. As a team, the Yankees hit .239/.308/.436 and had a 106 wRC+. The weak link was the bullpen. In 39 innings, they had a 7.62 ERA. They gave up eight homers and allowed 33 earned runs. Their toughest test came in Fenway Park, and they did pass. Devin Williams and David Bednar showed out in hostile territory. Each posted zeroes in their respective appearances.

Their newest shortstop, Jose Caballero, was pleased with how the team played recently.

"I think it's a good stretch for us, especially facing four good teams in a row. It [says] a lot about this team, and we're ready for the playoffs."  

Despite finally winning both series against the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, the Yankees find themselves four games out of the American League East. It isn't an insurmountable task, but Toronto put enough padding between them and the Yankees that they can feel comfortable getting to the end of the season and locking down the division.

The one thing that may preclude Toronto from popping champagne is that their schedule is not as easy as the Yankees', who now face a medley of teams under .500. The first of which is the Minnesota Twins, who always seem to be a get-right team for the Yanks.

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