The Yankees have played some very good baseball of late, but thanks to the cutthroat nature of this year’s AL East, they still have a lot of work to do. A 96-win pace is only good enough for third in the division, with New York still six games behind Tampa, and a three games behind Baltimore.
The brutal state of play in the AL East makes interdivisional matchups that much more vital. As the Orioles come to the Bronx for a crucial three-game set, expect a tight series with something approaching playoff intensity. It might only be late-May, but the Yankees are already playing important baseball, a proposition that’s equal parts exciting as it is scary.