Yankees Baseball: 3 Things to Watch for this Week 7/5-7/11

After a 2-4 week two weeks ago, the Yankees had the same record this week. They went 1-2 against the Angels before doing the same against the Mets. The clubs’ Sunday night win puts them at 42-41 on the year. The Yankees will round out the first half of their season by heading West to take on the Mariners and the Astros. Here are three things to watch for during the week.

Will they be Over .500 Heading into the All-Star Break?

The Yankees are currently 42-41. They have six games this week. This means the Yankees will have to go at least 3-3 this week to have a winning record heading into the break. With how streaky this team has been, it could be hard to predict how they’ll fare this week.

Although they definitely won’t be leading the division heading into the break, moving closer is still a big help. New York is currently in fourth in the AL East at 10 games behind the division leading Red Sox.

The Rest of the American League East

The Boston Red Sox are 21-9 since June 3 (Image from atlantabusinessjournal.com)

Although the Yankees are 10 games out of first, they are just 1.5 games out of third and 5.5 games behind the second place Rays. Passing the Blue Jays this week is realistic, and getting close to the Rays is within reach as well.

The Red Sox are taking on the Angels and the Phillies this week. The Rays are set to face the Indians and the Blue Jays. As for Toronto, they will play Baltimore before their series with Tampa Bay.

Aroldis Chapman

In the month of June, Aroldis Chapman posted an 11.73 ERA. He started the month with a 0.43 ERA, and ended it with a 3.77 ERA. He hasn’t started July off well, either. The southpaw made his first appearance of the month on July 4, and allowed three earned runs without recording an out.

This is clearly a guy the Yankees want to use late in close games. If Chapman can get back to his April and May numbers, he should be able to help this team make a playoff push in the second half.

Featured Image Courtesy of celebvogue.com.

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