No debate there. With basically two months left to the season, it’s not the time for TB, Boston, or New York to allow itself to fall too far back now…as there may not be time to recover.

Absolutely you’ve gotta be happy. With Matsui out and almost certainly done, and Posada the same (I think its nuts having him come back to hit in a diminished capacity and then miss part of next season), Wang out and Hughes and Kennedy contributing nothing, three games out heading into the last weekend of July is great.

but I don’t think there’s a lot of room for error from here on out to secure a spot in the dance.

Hey, no question – no one has won anything yet. And, yes, the Yankees schedule is tough in August in September.

Still, considering how the Yankees started this season…the fact that it’s now July 25th and New York is only 3 games back of first…well, as Yankees fans, if we can’t be happy about that…that’s just wrong.

Nothing like a post-break streak against a AAA offense and a team that was largely succeeding through smoke and mirrors to make everyone feel good. I particularly like that post-break ERA – no mention that it only covers six games.

Yes the Yankees are playing better, even if it wasn’t very long ago that Pettitte declared that “we stink”. And just as importantly, the teams they are looking up at played badly enough that the Yankees actually made a move with their streak.

We just might have a three way pennant race, loser goes home, if they keep it up. That means no more backsliding by Cano, still managing to win the games Rasner and Ponson start (or replace one of them before the deadline), and for the bullpen to keep it up (does anyone really think they won’t hit a skid or two?).

Best thing that could happen for both our teams is for the Rays to actually fade. Not sure if it will happen yet but it looks more likely than before.

But with a full lineup going forward, and significant scheduling advantages, I think the odds favor the Red Sox.