BALTIMORE — If the Yankees are going to have any hope of getting back to the top of the AL East by the end of the season, the road there will have to begin within the division.
Like most things the Yankees have gone through lately, that largely has been a struggle.
The Yankees own a 14-18 record against the AL East after losing Thursday’s series finale to the Rays at Tropicana Field. By the time they begin the All-Star break on Sunday night in Baltimore, they will have played 35 of their 52 divisional games — more than any other team in the division, putting an even bigger emphasis on a huge showdown with the Orioles this weekend at Camden Yards that could decide who goes into the break on top.
“We got a losing record [against the division], so not well enough,” manager Aaron Boone said this week. “Hopefully that’s something we can improve on moving forward. Obviously, anytime you play in our division, you know they’re going to be tough games. So that’s an area [where] we got to do a better job.”
Historically, teams that win the AL East take care of business within the division. Here’s how the past five division winners (not including the shortened 2020 season) fared within the AL East:
2023: Orioles, 32-20
2022: Yankees, 47-29
2021: Rays, 51-25
2019: Yankees, 54-22
2018: Red Sox, 52-24
Here’s how the AL East teams had fared against each other this season:
Orioles: 19-7
Red Sox: 13-11
Yankees: 14-18
Blue Jays: 12-16
Rays: 12-18
In part because of the new balanced schedule and also just as a quirk of the schedule overall, the Yankees have just five series left against division foes in the second half — only one of which is on the road, as they head to Fenway Park later this month. After Aug. 5, the Yankees will have just two division series remaining, which could work in their favor to give them a breather but also gives them fewer opportunities to make up ground if needed.
(Note: This is a bad job by MLB. The last two months of the season should be chock-full of divisional battles to heighten the stakes.)
After going 22-30 against the AL East during their brutal 2023 season, the Yankees have had a tough time in the division this season. They close out the first half with nine straight divisional games, and the current stretch of 18 losses in the past 25 games includes going 6-10 against the AL East.
Here’s a look at how the Yankees have matched up against each divisional rival and what’s left to come:
Orioles (2-5 against, six games left)
The Yankees knew they would have to go through the Orioles to claim the division, which has not been easy through two mostly tight series. The first meeting, a four-game set in Baltimore, featured three low-scoring games decided by two runs each. The Yankees then had a chance to win the second series last month in The Bronx before falling in extras in the middle game and getting blown out in an ugly rubber match.
The Orioles have pitched the Yankees tough in the seven games, holding them to a .197 average with a .621 OPS. That’s the third-lowest OPS the Yankees have against any opponent this season (the second-lowest is later on this list).
The other clear edge the Orioles have had over the Yankees is with their athleticism, using their young and talented lineup to their advantage.
Red Sox (2-4 against, seven games left)
Alex Cora’s crew has had a big hand in sending the Yankees into their recent tailspin. The Yankees won the first meeting on June 14 at Fenway Park, at which point they improved to an MLB-best 50-22. But the Red Sox roughed up Carlos Rodon the next day and then left a mark on the Yankees on “Sunday Night Baseball,” using their team speed to run rampant with a franchise-record nine steals.
The Yankees did a better job of controlling the running game when they met last weekend in The Bronx, but the Red Sox instead slugged their way to a series win behind Rafael Devers.
Now comes the big question: Has the Red Sox’s strong play convinced ownership/the front office to be buyers at the trade deadline? Their next series against the Yankees comes just before the July 30 deadline, which should be an interesting time for both sides.
Rays (5-4 against, four games left)
Leave it to the team that typically has played the Yankees the toughest over the past few years to be the one team in the division with a losing record against them.
As they usually do, the Rays have mostly kept the Yankees’ bats in check, limiting them to a .213 batting average and a .609 OPS as of Thursday morning. They had also racked up the most steals (12) of any team against the Yankees this season.
Blue Jays (5-5 against, three games left)
It’s been a rough year for the Blue Jays, who may be sellers in a few weeks, but they have hit the Yankees better than almost any other opponent this season. Their .777 OPS against Yankees pitchers ranks third, trailing only the Mets (1.202) and Brewers (.783), who played only one series apiece against the Yankees.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have beaten up on Kevin Gausman and much of the Blue Jays bullpen, but Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi have largely had their number.
You like that!
On what was an otherwise brutal Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in a loss to the Rays, one Yankee stood out: Jake Cousins.
It was just one game, and the Yankees were trailing 4-1 at the time he came in. But Cousins forced you to take notice of his outing, striking out five across two scoreless innings and getting a lot of silly-looking swings from the Rays courtesy of his nasty stuff.
“That’s what I’m trying to do — make hitters uncomfortable and disrupt timing,” Cousins said. “[Tuesday] night was really good. … That’s a good blueprint for the rest of the way.”
For a bullpen that has been struggling for the better part of two months and is expected to receive reinforcements at the trade deadline, Cousins is an interesting arm. He struck out three more Rays in a scoreless inning Thursday night.
The Yankees acquired the 29-year-old right-hander from the White Sox for cash considerations on March 31. At the time, he was mostly known for being Kirk Cousins’ cousin, and he gave up three runs (one earned) in his first two outings as a Yankee before being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on April 8.
Cousins then spent a month and a half on the IL at Triple-A due to forearm inflammation, but returned in the middle of June before being called back up on June 27. In six games since, albeit mostly in low-leverage spots, he had given up just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out 13 across 7 ⅔ innings.
“He’s been opening up eyes the whole time,” Boone said. “I think when we acquired him … a lot of guys in our front office were like, ‘Feel like there’s some untapped things going on with this guy.’ When he’s clicking, he’s incredibly tough against right-handed hitters. He’s pitched well for us. You see a night like [Tuesday] night where he carves through there really efficiently, it does get you excited. Hopefully he can continue to carve out a role for himself.”
Cousins’ ability to get swings and misses especially stands out in a bullpen that has been lacking that this season. On Thursday night, he struck out three more Rays in a scoreless inning.
The biggest challenge for Cousins has been harnessing his stuff to avoid walks.
“I think it’s just a lot of trusting your stuff in the zone,” he said. “If I’ve ever had an issue in the big leagues, it’s been command. So they’re trying to get me to trust my stuff in the zone and let it play and let the hitters react. That’s what I’m trying to do and be aggressive.”
Cousins has walked 43 batters in 63 ⅓ big league innings. If he can solve that part of his game — easier said than done — he could become a more reliable bullpen option for the Yankees.
“I know the Rays are like this, too; they tell you to throw the ball down the middle and let your stuff move,” Cousins said. “I’m not doing that, per se, but just trying to focus on strikes. It’s a pretty fine [difference]. Releasing a pitch within an inch of each other is going to be a ball or a strike. It’s definitely a fine motor skill, but through time and reps, hopefully it’ll be there.”
Rice is cooking
Just over a month ago, Ben Rice was still in Double-A. Now he is batting cleanup for the Yankees to protect Aaron Judge, after spending a week hitting leadoff to set the table for Juan Soto.
It’s been a quick rise that Rice has handled well with his left-handed bat impressing early on in the big leagues. As for whether Brian Cashman has seen enough to have Rice, a natural catcher, be the Yankees’ first baseman for the rest of the season?
“I like what I’ve seen from Rice,” Cashman said. “I feel comfortable running him out there as our first baseman right now, because that’s our choice. He’s handling it rather well. … In terms of the future and how things all play out as the season turns, that’s all to be determined. But he’s doing a great job for us right now.”
Anthony Rizzo is expected to return from a forearm fracture in August. Before then, the Yankees could trade for a corner infielder. And as good as Rice has looked at the plate, there have been a few plays at first base that have exposed his inexperience there — through little fault of his own, as no amount of pregame work can make up for in-game experience at the position.
But for now, the 2021 12th-round pick from Dartmouth looks like a win for the Yankees’ scouting and player development group. When Cashman saw scouting director Damon Oppenheimer earlier this week, he told him of Rice, “That’s a good one.”
“I’m proud that he’s come up — it’s not easy to come up in the middle of the American League East,” Cashman said. “It’s not even his primary position. But had some confidence levels by our player development people with how he’s wired that it wouldn’t be too much for him. He’s a great personality with a big stick. He’s settled in rather well and has been a help. Hopefully that’ll continue.”
