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OAKLAND, CA - MAY 22: Members of the New York Yankees congratulate each other in the infield after defeating the Oakland Athletics 5-4 at O.co Coliseum on May 22, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

Each divisional foes’ weakness

Don’t look now but the Yankees are at .500 for the first time since, April 14? Wait. Hang on let me check my sources on that. That can’t be right? Pulls up Google. Welp, that is correct. Anyhow moving on. The Bombers seem to have righted the ship due to the unleashing of the three headed bullpen monster, Carlos Betran finding the Fountain of (DH) Youth and the team rattling off six wins a row. The AL East has been one giant enigma all season, I mean who would have guessed that the Orioles would be tied for the Major League lead in homers with…the Rays!? I’m serious. Go look it up, I’ll wait…

…See! Unbelievable isn’t it? The division is still pretty much wide open with the Blue Jays being seven games out of first at 22-25, the Sox leading it at 28-17, and everyone else within striking distance. Nobody is running away with it, and each team has a weakness that the Yanks just need to exploit (or outlast) in order to win the division and punch their ticket to October.

Baltimore

The O’s are one game out of first at 26-17 and , as mentioned above, are tied with the Rays and Mets for the league lead in homers. Their offense isn’t the problem, their starting rotation is. They have no clear number one. Kevin Gausman hasn’t gotten a win yet in six starts, Ubaldo Jimenez is 2-5 with a 6.04 ERA, Mike Wright holds a 4.97 ERA and Tyler Wilson is a clear number two or three sitting at 2-2 with a 3.68 ERA. That means Chris Tillman (6-1, 2.61 ERA) is their number one starter. His numbers aren’t terrible, but neither of their five guys can seem to get deep into games and their pen isn’t strong enough to pick up the slack. Baltimore doesn’t have a deep enough depth in the farm to go out and get an ace they need at the deadline, either. And if the Royals taught us anything last year it’s that you can’t live and die by the long ball.

Boston

The Sox lead the division at 28-17, 40 year old David Ortiz is in his prime apparently, and Jackie Bradley Jr. is going all Joe DiMaggio on us. NJAFhutg40tu409!?$()@%*tgjwer//./* Sorry. Just typing that made me throw my keyboard across the room, had to get a new one. But I’m back. Let’s continue. They are on pace for 943 runs, which would be the most since the 2007 Yankees who had 968. But like Baltimore, their problem is in the rotation. They have won four games this year in which their pitchers gave up seven or more runs, that’s more than the rest of the division combined. It’s hard for an offense to keep that kind of pace for 162 games, eventually their bats will stop bailing out their pitchers and the holes will become evident. Clay Buchhoz has give up at least five runs in a league high tying five games. Joe Kelly, despite flirting with a no hitter his last time out, has an ERA of 5.28. And that’s only because of the near no-no, it was well over 9.00 coming into that game. David Price’s ERA sits at 5.34 and the Yanks have his number, having already tagged him for 12 runs in 11.2 innings. Rick Porcello is pitching fine with a 7-2 record and 3.47 ERA while Eduardo Rodriguez rehabs. However, unlike Baltimore, they have a plethora of depth in the farm to make virtually any trade they would want come July.

Tampa Bay

The Rays sit just under .500 at 21-22 and are six games out. Despite being tied for the most homers in the league, they are just 11th the American League in runs scored. This is due to a weak lineup, particularly Logan Morrison (.206/.309/.280/.589) and Desmond Jennings (.178/.252/.290/.542). Jennings was pulled from everyday fielding duties, but was forced back into the lineup when the Rays best defensive player, Kevin Kiermaier, went down for 8-10 weeks with a fractured wrist. He joins the team’s best offensive player, Logan Forsythe, on the DL. Forsythe was hitting .308 before fracturing a shoulder blade. When your best offensive and defensive pieces are both on the DL for an extended period, your rotation needs to step up. This is not happening down in Tampa. They have just 17 quality starts this year, second worse in the American League. Matt Moore and should be ace Chris Archer each have ERAs over 5.00 and just four wins between them.

Toronto

The Jays took over basement duties and are seven out of first with a 22-25 record. The sub-par rotation was to be expected after losing David Price, but everyone also expected the power house offense to pick up the slack. Not so much. Russell Martin is doing his best Chase Headley impression with just one extra base hit and a .172 BA in 122 at-bats. Troy Tulowitzki has a .224 average and .691 OPS since joining the team last season. He also left yesterday’s game with apparent quad tightness, he just can’t remain on the field. Jose Bautista is hitting .233 and getting punched in the face, Edwin Encarnacion sits at .235, and their reigning MVP Josh Donaldson is hitting .246. That’s just not going to get it done with such a meager rotation and an unsteady pen. And after last year’s World Series or bust trade deadline, their farm system is completely gutted and they don’t have the pieces to make any moves. Bautista and Encarnacion are both in walk years and seeking new deals the Jays don’t want to pay. Should Toronto still be in the basement come July, I fully expect them to be shipped out to replenish the Minors. Either way, all signs point to them not being Blue Jays in 2017.

So there you have it. All the Yankees have to do is keep doing what they are doing. Stay (relatively) healthy, get six innings out of the starters, hand it over to the pen, and ride the big three to the big dance. October is still a ways off and baseball is a marathon not a sprint, but there’s some optimism for your Wednesday. Savor it. You don’t get optimism out of me too often.