Yankees Sweep of Orioles Confirms They Are AL East's Best

                On Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the Yankees beat up on the Baltimore Orioles 9-3, to sweep the three-game series.

                So what we did we learn from these three games? I think we learned that the Orioles haven’t quite got their act together this year as well as they did last season. They don’t seem to be playing with the same enthusiasm and are looking less and less like the defending American League East Champions.

                But I think, more importantly, we learned that the New York Yankees, the 2015 version, are for real. Their sweep over the Orioles confirms that they are the team most likely to finish atop the division at year’s end. The Toronto Blue Jays are now in second place, and unless they make some significant upgrades in the starting and relief pitching, they won’t get very far past the .500 mark. The Tampa Bays and Boston Red Sox have proven thus far that they won’t contend either. So unless the Orioles turn their fortunes around pretty quickly, the A.L East crown will go to the Yankees.

                But these aren’t the Yankees of previous years. The core that made up the previous five championships are gone now. The only player that has been with the team longer than ten years is Alex Rodriguez. The ace of the pitching staff from their last championship in 2009, C.C. Sabathia, is no longer the ace of the club.

                So what makes this Yankee club so good, that by year’s end they may just add the twenty-eighth flag to their collection?

                It starts with their pitching. Starters Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi have won nine games each, Masahiro Tanaka has chipped in with six. And the bullpen has been incredible. Closer Andrew Miller has already recorded 22 saves along with a 1.62 ERA. Another reliever, Dellin Betances has seven saves of his own and a 1.40 ERA.

                Then there’s the offence. Let’s look at some numbers. First baseman Mark Teixeira has already smashed 24 homeruns and driven in 65. Catcher Brian McCann has hit 15 homeruns. Outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner are both close to batting .300.

                And then there’s A-Rod. Approaching 40 years of age and coming off a season-long suspension for using Performance Enhancing Drugs, no one really expected him to have a good season. However, he has pounded 20 homers and added 54 RBIs as the team’s designated hitter.

                Like him or not—and I don’t—you have to applaud him for the type of season he’s had so far despite all the distractions around him. It’s not easy to perform this well after a year off, especially when age is not an ally.

                He’ll be around for another couple of seasons and (again) like it or not, he WILL pass Barry Bonds as the all-time home run king, provided he can avoid injury and not let his off-field shenanigans affect his play.              

                All-in-all, the Yankees should be back at the top of the division, and although many don’t like it, the Yankees at the top are good for baseball.