The Twins and Yankees play this week in the Bronx. Both were settling into a playoff spot just a few weeks ago only to go into a tailspin, but at least one of the teams has made a move to salvage the season.
On July 28, the Twins were two games clear in the wild card and the Yankees were a whopping seven games ahead in the AL East. But while the Twins' second-half slide has buried them in the standings, the Yankees are back in first place by 1½ games after winning the first two games of a three-game series with surging Toronto this weekend.
The Twins' chances are based heavily on the continued effectiveness of their starting rotation. When it floundered, they floundered.
The Yankees have enjoyed a bounce-back season from Mark Teixeira and a stunning return by Alex Rodriguez following a yearlong PED suspension. Both have slumped badly recently, and the rest of the Yankees offense has followed. Their rotation has skidded at times, as ace CC Sabathia has had to learn how to pitch without 5 miles per hour on his fastball, and with the talented Michael Pineda on the disabled list.
New York's fall might have been a foregone conclusion after Toronto loaded up before the trade deadline by dealing for David Price and Troy Tulowitzki. Even with their two losses to the Yankees, the Blue Jays are 14-3 since July 28, having taken took over first place from the Yankees on Tuesday before giving it back Friday, when Carlos Beltran delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer in a 4-3 Yankees victory.
New York manager Joe Girardi was asked on Tuesday about what falling out of first place would do to his team.
"You're asking me to play psychologist," Girardi said. "I don't know. Obviously you want to be in first place. That's the bottom line. The end date is the most important date to be there. Maybe it turns out to be a good thing. Who knows?"
The Yankees failed to make a significant move at the trade deadline — despite having Stephen Drew and his .196 batting average drain the life out of the lineup. Standing pat could cost them the postseason.
That's the strange thing about these Yankees. We're used to seeing them stick their chests out at the deadline with splashy moves, but that didn't happen.
And we're used to seeing them win, but New York has been in the World Series only once in the past 11 years. And we're just used to seeing the Yankees in the playoffs. If they fail to make it this year, it will mark three seasons in a row they have been left out, which hasn't happened since baseball went to three divisions.
There's plenty of baseball left, and both teams can change their fortunes with one good week. But the Twins are running into a Yankees team that's a lot like them: vulnerable.
