Yankees' season could come down to these next 10 games
For the last 42 games, the Yankees have tried to stay afloat without Aaron Judge.
It’s been a rough go, their boat springing plenty of leaks, but all things considered they have not completely sunk.
Now, with Judge on the precipice of returning, the Yankees are about to enter the eye of the storm.
Beginning Friday in Baltimore, where Judge could make his long-awaited return from a torn ligament in his right big toe, the Yankees will embark on a critical 10-game stretch against the Orioles, Rays and Astros — three teams ahead of them in the playoff chase.
If the Yankees are going to start making up ground with two months left in the season, they have a big opportunity to do it now with their most important player expected to be back in the lineup.
“It’s obviously a big boost for us and the organization,” said Clarke Schmidt, who will start Saturday’s game at Camden Yards. “Everybody knows the weight he holds around here and how much he means to us.”
Aaron Judge, who is expected to return to the lineup Friday or this weekend at the latest is coming back for a key Yankees’ 10-game stretch against three rivals who are ahead of them in the playoff race. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
At the end of the day Judge last played a game, on June 3 at Dodger Stadium, the Yankees were 35-25, sitting in third place in the AL East — six games behind the first-place Rays and two games behind the second-place Orioles.
They were also positioned in the third AL wild-card spot, one game behind the Astros.
Since then, the Yankees have gone 19-23 with their lineup largely looking lost without Judge as their veteran bats — Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu — mostly slumped at the worst time.
Still, they enter Friday a little worse off, but — thanks in large part to their pitching staff — certainly not out of it.
They are 54-48, sitting in last place in the AL East — eight games behind the first-place Orioles and 6 ¹/₂ games behind the second-place Rays.
They are also 2 ¹/₂ games back of the Blue Jays for the final AL wild-card spot (and 3 ¹/₂ games behind the Astros), with the Red Sox one game ahead of them.
“It’s been the grind that we’ve showed,” Rizzo said. “It’s been like up and down, up and down, a wave of some good play, some bad play, some good play, some bad play. Hopefully this is all building towards a second-half run of momentum.”
Anthony Rizzo said the Yankees are excited about the imminent return of Aaron Judge who is “the face of baseball.” Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees have 60 games to make that happen, but the next 10 — a stretch that includes Tuesday’s trade deadline — could go a long way in determining whether or not the Yankees can fully right the ship.
“Let’s go, baby,” Aaron Boone said of his message to his team entering this gauntlet. “They know that. We understand where we’re at. We’re getting down to the final couple months. We understand how important these games are and how important these series are. That’s also the fun part of it.”
It will be even more fun for Boone if he gets to write Judge’s name into the lineup on Friday.
And just as much as the Yankees are anxious to get Judge back for a huge stretch, the reigning AL MVP appears to be just as eager to push his way back into the lineup.
“He loves this game,” Rizzo said. “He loves playing. He loves the grind. He makes it look really easy to the naked eye, but on the inside, the work he puts in, the preparation and dedication, his constant drive to be better than he is, he’s always trying to top that.
“He’s the face of baseball. He’s the captain of the New York Yankees. He doesn’t take that lightly. As his teammates and his friends, we can’t wait to have him back.”
Source: New York Post
