The Yankees didn’t play on Monday, but they continued to climb in the American League postseason standings.
Not only did the first-place Blue Jays lose, but the Red Sox and Mariners — the two clubs the Yankees have been chasing in the Wild Card race lately — also lost.
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Now, coming off a sweep of the Cardinals in St. Louis over this past weekend, the Yankees are tied with Boston and Seattle for the top Wild Card spot.
The Yankees (67-57) have played two fewer games than those contenders, but they have the same winning percentage (.570).
With Toronto’s loss, the Yankees are now five games back in the AL East and tied for second with the Red Sox.
There are 38 games remaining in the regular season. That’s plenty of time to catch the Blue Jays, assuming the Yankees continue to take care of business. At the very least, they’re in prime position to build a cushion in the Wild Card race over these next few series.
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The Yankees face the Rays for two games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa beginning Tuesday night. Then, they host Boston in the Bronx for a huge four-game set. It culminates with Sunday Night Baseball before the lowly Nationals come to town on Monday. After Washington comes to town, the Yankees travel to Chicago to face another last place team in the White Sox.
It’s been a struggle for the Yankees against other teams in their division this season, so keep a close eye on how they perform against the Rays and Red Sox this week. The Yankees are 14-19 against Baltimore, Boston, Tampa and Toronto, the worst in-division record in the AL East.
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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.