The nadir of the Yankees season was early August, where after getting all those relievers and all that bench help they still couldn't get a damn thing done against the Rangers. It was the tipping point of an excruciating stretch that was either the breaking point or the confirmation that something was broken.
Since August 5th, the Yankees are 20-9. They woke up, and they've had some insane shows of offense lately, courtesy of Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton and, yes, Aaron Judge. Sometimes when things are completely caving in, they need to do so in order to bring the next stage of dominance out.
This season, an 80+ win Yankee team has seen 30+ home run seasons from Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham, and 25+ homer seasons from Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm. And then of course Giancarlo Stanton has 19 and might get to 25 by sheer force of will in the next few weeks anyhow. The production this team has gotten from their core is extremely impressive, and it doesn't even include guys like Ben Rice and Austin Wells who have been just as helpful. The multi-homer games are lifting this team, and at the same time the more subtle, close wins are keeping them ahead of divisional rivals. You saw how they did against the Jays this weekend. All they needed to do was keep Fried and Gil out there and just give them a little run support. That simple.
What's been nice has been the emergence of new rookie hurlers that have kept the rotation stable. Will Warren made the rotation out of camp in the absence of Gil, and he's been a fine piece, with an 8-6 record, 153 Ks and a 4.28 ERA in 29 starts. Not bad at all, and boosted by a much firmer second half. Cam Schlittler was much more MLB ready, and since his mid-year debut he's been much steadier. In 10 starts he's got a 3.24 ERA and 56 Ks, meaning everybody in this current rotation has an ERA under 3.50 [except Warren]. And Gil has also been himself, with a 3.31 ERA despite only 30 Ks in 7 starts. I think he's just being more careful so he doesn't blow his arm out again, and even with that in mind he's still dominant and helpful. Meanwhile, Rodon and Fried both have 16 wins. If wins actually meant anything to sportswriters anymore, that'd be pretty cool.
The Yankees just look good right now, and even heading into series' against the Tigers, Red Sox and, yes, those unflappable Orioles, I think they've got a good chance to sail into a postseason spot and entertain people. I'm not sure about the division at the moment, but at least this weekend made it easier to grasp.
Coming Tonight: The big Marlins outfield bat is out for a bit. So they just...brought up another one.
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