Both the Yankees and Orioles resume action on Tuesday tied for first place in the AL East, as the Yanks have won seven of their last eight to overcome the slight deficit they faced in the division as a result of their seven-week malaise.
The O’s had every chance to pull away, but instead, the two teams are neck-and-neck atop the division, and C-Mac says that blown opportunity by Baltimore is why the Bombers will win the division for the second time in three years.
“The Orioles are playing like crap,” C-Mac said. “The Yankees were the worst team in baseball next to the White Sox for a month and a half, and they couldn’t gain any ground. And they played hideous baseball.
“They’ve been struggling too. I don’t see how you can say that the Orioles are far better than the Yankees. They’re not.”
C-Mac pointed to the Yankees improvements in the lineup and the bullpen, and the struggles of some Orioles stars like Adley Rutschman of late, as reasons why the Yanks will be division champions. It is a coveted title, even in the era of expanded playoffs, as it would mean a guaranteed trip to the ALDS, and C-Mac says it will be the Yankees popping champagne when it’s all said and done.
“If you were to ask me who is going to win this division, the Yankees are,” C-Mac said. “The Orioles had their chance to run up the score and couldn’t do it.
“I expected some sort of bounceback. This young, inexperienced team went on a run, had 101 wins, everything went right for them…and in the playoffs, they got absolutely exposed, because their starting pitching wasn’t good enough…I think this battle down the stretch is going to be an interesting one, but I expect the Yankees to win it.”