WILL THE SECOND HALF LEAD TO RING 28?

Going into the second half, the Yankees are first in the AL East (57-31), 6.5 games ahead of the Rays, and 9 games ahead of the Red Sox. Giancarlo Stanton, Luis Severino, and Dellin Betances will most likely be back by August. Luckily, after the All-Star game, no one got hurt. So, what is stopping our team from winning it all in the second half of the season?

Even without their biggest players, the Yankees have had incredible luck with guys such as Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu, who have shown they can hold their own on our team. Both also looking like two MVPs.

The issue left to solve for the second half is pitching.

“I can’t tell you how many times starting pitching — I’m still concerned about it. I was concerned about it in the off-season," said Hal Steinbrenner, having the same concerns as Brian Cashman.

Our ace, Severino still has not thrown a pitch this season. Masahiro Tanaka has undoubtedly been our saving grace and has a 3.86 ERA, being named to the All-Star team. However, the rotation has been not great with a 4.22 ERA (12th in the majors). 

The bullpen has been carrying too much of a load, using them multiple days in a row despite Yankee's rules. 

“Clearly, we feel we need to fortify the pitching,” Cashman said. “Some of that will come from within when guys get healthy. But I’d certainly like to add to it if possible. But saying it and being able to do it to the level that you’d like are two different things. We’ll stay engaged with the marketplace, see what might be available and see if we match up better with other people that are trying to do the same.”

Will the Yankees fill in the missing pieces before the trade deadline? Will our injured players come back and make a difference?

“In the end, our fans don’t remember what we do in the regular season,” Brian Cashman said. So let's win the playoffs!

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke