{"id":15263,"date":"2025-09-01T10:41:30","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T17:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=15263"},"modified":"2025-09-01T10:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T17:41:30","slug":"yankees-upcoming-stretch-is-most-important-of-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2025\/09\/01\/yankees-upcoming-stretch-is-most-important-of-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees\u2019 Upcoming Stretch Is Most Important of Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Yankees<\/a>\u2019 upcoming two-week stretch is undoubtedly their most important slate of games all season. If you take one look at the Yankees\u2019 76-61 record, it seems like they\u2019re your prototypical playoff contender. As it stands, they sit just three games out of first place in their division, while still being in striking distance of the American League\u2019s top overall seed. They have the best run differential in the AL at +134. Their 719 runs scored are the most in baseball. They\u2019ve clubbed 233 home runs, the most in MLB. But there is something that could derail the Yankees come October: New York cannot beat good teams. Against teams with a record above .500, the Yankees are 32-39. Sure, they\u2019ve beaten up on the bad teams. But against the top dogs, it\u2019s been a different story.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for the Yankees, these next two weeks will serve as a proving ground for them. Beginning on Tuesday, the Yankees travel to Texas for a three-game series to take on the Houston Astros<\/a>. After that, it\u2019s back to the Bronx for a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>. New York will then host the Detroit Tigers<\/a> for another three-game series, before heading up to New England for three games against the Boston Red Sox<\/a>. Excluding the Yankees, these are the top four teams in the American League. The Yankees need to rise to the challenge over these next two weeks, and it comes down to two things.<\/p>\n

Performance at the Plate<\/h2>\n

In an unfortunate trend, the Yankees\u2019 bats have gone cold all season against good teams. When they took on the Astros at the beginning of August, the Yankees totaled nine runs in three games. Just days later, they put up nine runs against the lowly Minnesota Twins<\/a> in a single game. When New York took on Boston a few weeks later, they scored 11 runs in the four games they played against them. For contrast, they tallied 11 runs in one game against the cellar-dwelling Washington Nationals<\/a> in the following series. Of course, when the Yankees take on MLB\u2019s top teams, they face better pitching. But when you have the best offense in the league, there\u2019s no excuse for the bats going silent, even against top competition. If the Yankees want to prove their worth, they need to start hitting beginning tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Fielding Miscues<\/h2>\n

Maybe even more concerning for New York, however, is their tendency to make errors in big games. In a rubber match against the Blue Jays in July, New York made another four errors, all courtesy of four different players. In that aforementioned August series against Boston, the Yankees made another four errors in game one, all courtesy of four different players again. The bats going cold is concerning, but the inability to make simple throws in the infield might just trump that. Clean, error-free baseball is the key for the Yankees over the next two weeks.<\/p>\n

From Good to Great<\/h2>\n

The Yankees are a good baseball team. Their offense is the best in the league, their pitching depth is desirable, and they have loads of postseason experience. However, it remains to be seen how great a baseball team they are. If the Yankees excel these next two weeks, it will go a long way toward proving their team is great. As for now, these next 14 days will all but define New York\u2019s regular season.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a>