Losing Games But Not Losing Ground

After last Wednesday's games, and before they started their series against the Red Sox Thursday night, the Yankees were 2.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. As we all know, the series didn't go so well for our boys in pinstripes. Although they scored 25 runs in the first three games, the Yanks lost all three of them thanks to their pitchers giving up a combined 34 runs. Thankfully, the Yankees were able to avoid being swept, but the damage was done.

Or was it?

"Ah, ah, ah."

Here we are on Monday afternoon, before the Yankees start a four-game series against the Orioles, and the Yankees remain 2.5 games back. 

Even though Baltimore took 3 of 4 games from the White Sox over the weekend, their 3-6 record in the previous three series prevented them from gaining anymore ground in the Wild Card chase.

The Cleveland Indians would also find themselves in a better place after taking 2 of 3 games against the Mets and Orioles in the past week, if it wasn't for losing 5 of their previous 6 games to the Braves and Tigers

But while the Orioles and Indians actually leap-frogged the Yankees in the Wild Card standings, it was the Rays that really blew their chance to widen the gap. Going into their series against the Seattle Mariners, the Ms were 13 games under .500, and had a run differential of -103. But instead of taking advantage of a lowly team like Seattle, the Rays managed to lose 2 of 3 games this weekend. 

Even though the Yankees didn't fall back any further in the WC standings, they do have four less games in order to get into the postseason. But this four-game series against Baltimore, a three-game series against the Rays at the end of this month, and nine other games against teams with a combined winning percentage of .414, gives the Yankees a great chance of making it happen.

Of course, let's hope the Yankees do better against the Sox in this coming weekend's three-game series in Boston.