At least so far it is. That’s what the next ten games will be for the Yankees as they return to the big ballpark in the Bronx to face the Jays (starting tomorrow), the Astros and the Red Sox. The archrivals, a lot of pennant race pressure and only 1 off day before they head back out on the road as the calendar turns to September. They come home in relatively good spirits as they managed to go 4-2 on the road, a trip they punctuated with a sweep of the Orioles who had been hot going into the three-game set in the Baltimore. Not to mention, the sweep helped close the gap on first place, as the Bombers now trail the first-place Rays by four games, a number the Yankees can continue to chip away at. Let’s talk about some of the good things we’ve seen of late and they keys to a successful home stand.

The road trip started a bit auspiciously as the offense continued to scuffle and the defense was a disaster. The Yankees managed to give away a pair of very winnable games in Toronto but they managed to get back on track thanks to one of their big guns seemingly finding his stroke, and that guns name is Ben Rice. Number 22 hit an August dog days wall up until Sunday in extra innings where he homered to take the lead over the Jays, making up for an error he made the previous frame. He parlayed that into some big hits at Camden Yards, giving him two homers and four RBI’s in his last four contests. The highlight of his handywork with the stick was this towering shot to deep right center field, a home run that hopefully serves as a sign of things to come because the Yankees need Rice to get hot again!

Now speaking of offense, the Yankees bats around Rice actually joined in on the fun a bit this week as they managed to score 5 and 6 runs respectively in the last two games, a lot of them at the moment. Aside from Trent Grisham having another randomly clutch hot week, there were two big takeaways on my end. First, George Lombard and Spencer Jones are continuing to give this team excellent at bats, seeing a lot pitches and making something happen in the box and on the bases. Lombard came through by simply putting the ball in play on Wednesday night and Jones homered and scored a run on Thursday night. As for takeaway number two, man was it good to see Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos get involved offensively on Thursday?! After combing to hit .160 since their arrival, the tandem of new additions combined to go four for eight with a homer run and two RBI’s in the 6-1 win. They have to continue to chip in to keep the momentum up from this trip when they get home.

Of course, the offensive contributions could be pinned on the poor quality of the O’s pitching staff, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers right now. What continues to be consistently good about this team is its pitching, which got a lift from the return of Carlos Rodon, who went into the rotation spot the injured Max Fried just vacated. The big lefty kicked off the series in the “charm city” with a gutsy effort that shut down the opposition bats outside of a solo homer. Over four pitch count monitored innings of work, Rodon walked two, gave up two hits, and one run while striking out four. He even picked up his teammates as he wiggled out of a bases loaded jam that was set up by a Jazz Chisholm error. If there is a key to this team surviving down the stretch and maybe catching Tampa Bay, Rodon pitching well and helping the staff overcome the loss of Max Fried (even if it is brief) will be critical.

In keeping with Rodon returning, let’s talk injuries, as the walking wounded continuing to try and work their way back in the starting lineup and rotation. Let’s start with the one everyone is most interested in, Aaron Judge, who we haven’t seen in some time now. The captain swung the bat for the first time and hit off a tee…as small it is, it’s better than nothing and hopefully a precursor to a bigger ramp up in the weeks ahead of 99. Meanwhile there is Max Fried who is on the 15-day injured list thanks to discomfort in his pitching arm, though for the moment the Yankees seem confident the injury won’t sideline more than the prescribed two weeks. Assuming that’s the case that’s big as the Yanks could have their “dream” rotation together finally and they’d gain some added flexibility as they could put Will Warren in the bullpen.

Now for better news. Cody Bellinger is on a rehab assignment as we speak and is plotting to return by Tuesday’s series opener with the Astros, at the latest. His recovery would be remarkably quick considering the was projected out 4-6 weeks and boy do the Yankees need his presence at the plate, in the field and on the bases. Meanwhile there is still no timeline for Giancarlo Stanton’s return but the language surrounding it is certainly more positive than previous updates from the manager. It sounds like Stanton is closing in on a rehab assignment, if he even bothers to go on one. While he does clog the roster up even more than it already is at DH, the Yankees need someone who presents even the illusion of doing damage, so number 27 would be a welcome sight. Not to be left out there is Clarke Schmidt who is nearing a rehab assignment that would see him join the Yankee pen, and Luis Gil who is back on the mound, throwing 97 and working two scoreless innings in triple A in preparation for a role in the Bronx pen.

Whether all, some or none of these guys actually make it back is an open question. These players represent hope, a dangerous thing considering its usually the hope that kills ya. This group has teased us plenty of times over the last few weeks with the illusion that they’re coming out of their slump, but if there was ever a time to pull things together at home, this is it. The Yanks are just 31-27 at 161st and River this season, a mark extremely that’s frustrating considering the atmosphere and energy at the ballpark most nights. It’s time to wake up and protect home field this week against three teams that love to beat the Yankees in their own back yard. It’s critical to win these to put a damper on the Jays hopes and stay ahead of Boston, as well keeping the heat on the Rays who on a bit of a skid of their own. I’m still not much of a believer in this group but, as a great man once said…

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