THE A'S ARE BREATHING DOWN OUR NECKS!

Photo: AP

This wild card race is too close for comfort. Just eleven days ago the Yankees had a six game lead in the loss column over the A's for the top wild card spot, and now it is down to two games. The A's are on a roll and the Yankees are still spinning their wheels. It's time to get back on track, and fast.

Photo: Getty Images

Sure, the Yankees still hold a nine-game lead on a postseason spot so it looks like they are a shoe in, but the A's are on a crazy role lately. They are 54-21 since June 21st, and hold the best record in baseball since then.

A nine-game lead with a guaranteed spot would be nice, but home field advantage for the wild card game would be even nicer. That nine-game lead actually should be an even bigger lead. The Yankees had an advantage of a much easier schedule in the last month than division rivals. They barely had any action against division rivals and played teams that were under .500 and still couldn't capitalize on it. 

Photo: Getty Images

The Yankees haven't played great baseball in a long time. It's not just any one factor or one person's fault. Yes, having Aaron Judge out completely sucks but Luis Severino has struggled greatly since the start of the second half, but veterans like Giancarlo Stanton and Greg Bird have also under performed. Hell, Bird may not even have a postseason roster spot. The pitching is lackluster, the offense is flat the second half and Aaron Boone's strategy leaves a lot to be desired sometimes. There is a lot to fix in order to get the Yankees ready for the postseason and I wish they were easy fixes. We all miss Judge, and hopefully he will be back for the postseason. I am really crossing my fingers because that alone is a huge boost for this team. Even Boone finally admits he misses him.

At long last, Boone the Robot shows some real emotion that we can all relate to. It only took six months to see it. We all know the Yankees are not the same team without Judge in the lineup, but the Yankees need to figure it out.

Hopefully we see Judge soon. He took batting practice two days in a row so that's a good sign. The pain must be getting better. Boone said the Yankees have a timetable in mind for his return, but they aren't revealing it. I guess I don't blame them for that.

The Yankees have to figure this out. There aren't many games left and the race is too tight. It has to happen with or without Judge....preferably with but, either way the A's aren't going to make it easy for the Yankees. They aren't slowing down, so we need to turn up the intensity and perform .

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj