Things didn't go quite as planned for the series in Toronto as the Yankees dropped two of the three games, putting the division further out of reach. Despite the disappointment, the ball club was able to bounce back nicely with series win over the Chicago White Sox. Though they are not out of the AL East race just yet, it may be time for the Yankees to focus on securing their spot in the playoffs and hope they get the opportunity to spoil the Blue Jays run and claim a 28th championship after a two year absence from October baseball.
The Good
The pitching staff was fairly slid over the weekend as Pineda, Warren, and Severino had solid outings. Nathan Eovaldi has yet to return after being shut down, so it's important the the team gets the most out of the starters, especially if the season comes down to that starter in a crucial one game playoff.
Ellsbury picked it up this week, batting .320 in seven games. It has to be a nice sight to see his hitting return as things have not gone well for him since returning from the disabled list on July 8.
Greg Bird has had a flare for the dramatic since his call drilling homers in big spots multiple times. He's beginning to come into his own and is a lock to take over first base duties once Mark Teixeira's contract is up in 2017. The sky's the limit for the Young man is he should want it and from the looks of it, he sure does.
The Bad
Though he has pitched very well up to this point, Dellin Betances has had a few shaky outings over the past two weeks. HIs control seems to have abandoned him and many are pointing to the high usage he's had over the course of the season. JO Girardi has said that he feels Betances is just going through a bad stretch of mechanics, however, 80.2 innings this season and 170.2 innings over the past two tells a much different story. The Yankees will need Betances at his very best come playoff time, so getting him some days off could be all the difference in how he performs.
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