THE YANKEES NEED TO STEP IT UP IF THEY WANT A LONG POSTSEASON

If the Yankees want their postseason to last more than a few days, then they really need to step it up. The latest series against the Blue Jays has turned the team from the wild-card-round hosts to the wild-card-round visitors. This season has definitely been a rollercoaster ride with tons of highs and lows. However, ending on a low would not put the Yankees in a good spot to begin their postseason. 

“We obviously are going to have to play better if we’re going to advance in the postseason,” Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully [this] can springboard us into playing some clean baseball this weekend. Hopefully, get the bats going a little bit and head into the postseason.”

Another postseason concern for the Yankees would be playing most of it away from their home. It is proven the Yankees play better in Yankee Stadium, so it is a concern for the players.

“We always seem to play well at home and obviously on the road is a little more of a challenge. Playing on the road and then heading out to the West Coast hopefully [for the American League Division Series and Championship Series, it’s] definitely something we have to turn the page and try to block out. Play our best baseball no matter where we’re at,” said Brett Gardner. 

The Yankees are good enough to win and we as fans know that. However, there are a few Yankees that need to step it up for their team if they want to make it past the wildcard. 

To start off, Aaron Boone needs to get his team back into shape. They went from a 10-0 stretch of games back to the sloppiness that made us nervous to see. Boone needs to light a spark under the butts of the players and get them driven to finish off the season strong. 

Aaron Judge has hit .185 since returning from the IL with 10 strikeouts. He has not hit a home run, and only driven in one run. This is not the Judge we know and love. With only three games left in the regular season, it would be nice to see him show some resemblance of his former self. 

J.A. Happ seems most likely to pitch Game 3 of the Wild Card round for the Yankees...if they make it that far. After a rough start to the season, Happ got it together and has a 1.93 ERA in six starts. If he can continue staying hot, it could be really great for the team. Hopefully, with his past postseason experience, Happ can make it happen. 

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke