The Yankees looked to be headed for another deflating loss on Monday afternoon, one that would have taken even more air out of their hopes of reaching the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
But status quo prevailed in the form of another takedown of the Twins, with a game-tying three-run home run by Aaron Judge setting up a walk-off single by Gary Sanchez in the 10th, and a potential gut-punch of a loss turned into a potential springboard for a crucial stretch run.
“After a win like this, coming from behind, down five runs, kind of build off that…lot of great at-bats down the stretch in crunch time when we needed it,” Judge said. “Let’s keep that rolling into Baltimore.”
The Yankees, currently holding the final Wild Card spot, now have a favorable stretch before ending their streak of 20 games in as many days next Thursday. Tuesday begins a series against the lowly Orioles in Baltimore, followed by a six-game homestand against the Indians and Rangers, meaning three straight series come against teams under .500 and out of the playoff race.
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For the Yanks, it’s a chance to reassert themselves in a playoff spot before ending the season with a crucial stretch of nine games against the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Rays.
“I think we’ve been playing some good baseball with some tough losses lately, and that happens,” Joey Gallo said. “But it was really good to see the fight we had. We could have easily let that game go, but we kept grinding and competing and having good at-bats and winning.
“We’re excited we’re in this race. Everybody wants to win at the end of the day…with 18 games left, we’re in the home stretch, and we’re gonna give it everything we’ve got.”
The Yankees are just 9-7 against the Orioles this year, a trend that will have to change over the next three games. The Yanks have one game on the Red Sox in the loss column for the final playoff spot, and trail the red-hot Blue Jays by one game for home field advantage in the Wild Card Game. If the Yanks want to keep their playoff streak alive, they have to take care of business against inferior teams, something that has been a struggle at times this season.
“I’m confident in this group,” Aaron Boone said. “I know what we’re capable at our best. We’ve been a little bit of everything this year, so it’s gonna take our best. But if we do that, we have a chance.”
Nobody knows what to expect in this crucial stretch for New York, which has lost eight of 10 just weeks after winning 13 in a row. The Yanks can flash the look of a team that can content for a World Series, but quickly pivot into the look of a group going nowhere fast. The upcoming stretch will be a chance to prove that this team is not the latter.
“It’s a rollercoaster…It’s not over yet,” Judge said. “I’m excited. We’re down in the stretch, this is a fun time of the year…just keep riding it to the playoffs.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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