Is the AL East back within reach for the Yankees?

The Yankees offense is suddenly showing more than a faint pulse, scoring five runs or more in consecutive games for the first time in over a month.

The result? An encouraging sweep of the Orioles, four straight wins, and a four-game deficit in the AL East.

Just over a week ago, the division seemed like a pipe dream at best. The first-place Rays were still scorching hot, the Yanks were fighting to stay above water with mounting injuries, and Tampa held a seven-game lead in the divisional race. The Bombers have nearly cut that deficit in half thanks to the Rays dropping three of four to Baltimore before the Yanks swept those same O’s at Camden Yards this week.

Is the AL East race, declared over by many earlier this month, suddenly back on?

It would be hard to argue otherwise. Sure, making up four games in just over a month is no easy task, but the Rays have looked more human of late, the Yanks continue to win games despite a roster decimated by injury, and reinforcements are on the way. Carlos Rodon is back in the fold and looked strong in his return. Cody Bellinger is expected back as soon as this weekend. Aaron Judge is hitting off a tee and looking more and more likely that he will indeed be back this season. Max Fried, after feared by many to be lost for the season after he was placed on the IL with another bone bruise in his pitching elbow, could miss the minimum 15 days before rejoining a starting rotation that has been as close to unhittable as any in baseball.

The Yankees, even without some of their biggest stars, have been cutting into their divisional deficit. The return of key contributors could further close the gap on Tampa.

If the Yankees can stay on the Rays’ heels for the next month, a four-game series against Tampa in the Bronx in the penultimate series of the regular season could determine the division. The Yankees would need to sweep that series to take the tiebreaker (which proved critical last season when the Yanks lost the division to Toronto because of the tiebreaker), meaning the Yanks’ fate for October could very well come down to that four-game set. Avoiding the crapshoot that is the three-game Wild Card Series is paramount, and the Yankees in the Aaron Boone era have proven they are far likelier to advance in the postseason if they have home field advantage in a playoff series. Winning the division would all but guarantee the best record in the American League, meaning a bye to the ALDS and home field through the ALCS.

The stakes are high, and the Yankees are suddenly right back in the mix to win the division. As we saw as recently as last season, winning the division could play a major role in the team’s fate come October.