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.”
