The Yankees won both of their series this week against the Blue Jays and the A’s to go 4-2. They had wins in both low and higher scoring contests, and they showed a lot more consistency this week than the rest of June. Here are three things to watch for this week as the Yankees host the Kansas City Royals before heading to Boston to face the Red Sox over the weekend.
Continued Improvement
As stated above, New York went 4-2 this week after going well under .500 during the two weeks prior. They were clicking on both sides of the ball. The won a game against Oakland 7-5, then won 2-1 the next day. When the pitching was off, the offense stepped up, and the pitching showed up when the bats were slow. Of course both sides of the ball being hot is great, but one helping the other is still a reliable way to win some games.
Two Starts from Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole is set to get the ball Tuesday against the Royals. Since the Yankees do not have an off day between Tuesday and Sunday, that should slate Cole to be on the mound Sunday afternoon at Fenway. Also, to state the obvious, Cole has been having an incredible season in 2021. His last start was an eight inning outing against Toronto where he allowed two runs on four hits. Aroldis Chapman came in and got the save in a 3-2 win in that one. With Cole opening a series and then closing one against the first place Red Sox, it could be a big opportunity for the Yankees to start and end this week in the win column.
A Weekend in Boston
The Yankees currently sit 4.5 games behind the Red Sox. They’ll get a chance to gain some solid ground in the AL East this week. Not only do they take on the Red Sox for three games, but the Red Sox are playing the second place Rays to open the week. If the Yankees could win the series or sweep the Royals, they could head into the Boston series with a chance to pass them in the standings. Either way, this is a big series for the Bronx Bombers.
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