IS PLAYOFF BASEBALL A POSSIBILITY WITHOUT JUDGE?

Nothing hurts more than being kicked when you are down. That's how I feel right now. The Yankees are down, and begging for a postseason miracle as the bad luck just keeps on coming. It's a consistent kick to the gut and the pain just keeps intensifying.

What a weekend. We lost the series to the Diamondbacks which I hate more than anyone here could ever understand. The weekend they celebrate their 2001 World Series against us, we lose again. Luis Gonzalez didn't deliver the crushing blow this time but that spirit still lives on. Of all the times I wanted the Yankees to win, this ranks high up there. We lose again, and it stings.

Then to add insult to injury, we all get to sit and hold our breath about Aaron Judge, who is back on the Injured List. On September 2nd, we wrote AARON JUDGE IS CLOSE TO A RETURN - BUT IS HE READY? I was worried he wasn't going to be ready because a rub injury is no joke and our medical staff IS a joke. Now Judge lasted 7 games before his next problem....a calf strain.

I swear I am so sick about this team and their calf strains. It is ridiculous! Here we are again. Judge has a right calf strain, and we don't know how bad it is. Our plan of attack includes hoping that we can get him back by the last game of the regular season and ready for the postseason. This sounds a little scary....

"They haven't told me yet [grade of muscle strain]. But he did reveal that the strain was to the soleus muscle, which he said "is a little more crucial with running and hitting," said Judge.

"It doesn't matter what grade it is, said Aaron Boone. "We're going to get him back, or we're not. That's what we're going to work to do, and we'll see."

That doesn't make me feel great. For the record, I don't believe that the Yankees don't know what grade strain he has. They absolutely do, they are just trying to keep it under wraps.....which makes it sound really really bad. It also makes the rest of us speculate which is dangerous.

Soleus muscle injuries can be precursors to Achilles tears if they are not treated properly or if someone is rushed back prematurely. Judge is so important to this team, but if they don't rehab this correctly it could cost us the rest of the season. The Yankees are six games behind the Rays with seven games left to go. Odds are the Yankees are going to be playing in the Wild Card spot again....and we need Judge ready to contribute.

A Wild Card berth means the Red Sox would be waiting for us again. The Red Sox are always a pain in the ass, but would be an even bigger one without Judge. That's just something I don't want to think about.

It's been a rough season, and even though the regular season is almost over it certainly isn't getting easier. This is definitely more than I want to stress about right now. It's time for the bleeding to stop. It's time to start praying to baseball gods and asking for a postseason miracle.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj