After this past weekend in Fenway and with the 1st place Baltimore Orioles coming to Yankee stadium for a three game set, it will be very important to set the tone. The Yankees need to play consistently and win. The Rangers are coming to the Bronx this weekend, and every game this week will prove to be difficult, especially with the starting pitching being in a state of disarray. The Yankees must capitalize now!
The easiest month of the season for the Yankees is April. The Yankees have more home games in April, than any other month of the season. They play 27 total games in the month of April. Of those 27 games, 19 are in the Bronx. No other month of the season even comes close to this very favorable schedule. That means the Yankees must take advantage now and get as many wins as possible before the season really begins.
So far the Yankees are 4-3 and are coming off a tough weekend in Fenway. Of those 27 total games in April, 1 game was rained out against the Twins. This game will have to be made up at sometime during the season, which will ultimately be played on one of much needed off-days later in the summer.
The last two months of the season are the most difficult part of the Yankees schedule, making those early season wins more important. In August & September, the Yankees play 3 series against the Red Sox and Rays. It does not help that two of the three series against the Red Sox are up in Fenway. These last two months in the season won’t be easy especially if the AL East is a tight race, as the Yankees play 30 total divisional games during this period. 6 of the 10 teams the Yankees play during this two month span had a record of .500 or better last season. This does not include the new and improved Baltimore Orioles who look like a totally new ball club under Buck Showalter.
The toughest month of the season by far is August. During August, the Yankees play a total of 29 games with only 2 days off. 20 of those games are on the road! The Yankees will also have to face Boston twice this month. If the Yankees can get as many wins now during their favorable schedule, August will be somewhat manageable to protect any lead they have in the AL East.
The final month doesn’t fare much better for the Yanks as they will play a total of 24 games, plus whatever games need to be made up. We already have one game against the Twins that was rained out, and tonight could be rained out as well. Of the 24 games during September, 13 are on the road and 18 are divisional games. The Yankees will also have a tough 10 day road trip to the west coast to face the Angels, Seattle and then Toronto. They come back from their longest road trip of the season and face division rivals Boston & Tampa to close out the season.
Grabbing as many wins during the first month of the season could be a deciding factor as who wins the AL East. This division may be the toughest in the MLB, and nearly every year produces the wild card. Last year the AL East was decided by one game, and the division didn’t get much easier this offseason. Every game the Yankees play this first month is important if they want to make the postseason this year.
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