In spite of all their flaws, their frustrating habits, and their downright ugly performances…the 2026 New York Yankees just keep finding ways to win ballgames. They have faced what feels like insurmountable levels of adversity on the injury front and yet they have stayed afloat and when you’re ready to doubt them fully and pull the plug on them, they rise to the occasion. This weekend set in the Bronx was no different, as they found a way to take three out of four from the rival Red Sox, with Boston breathing down their neck in the Wild Card standings.

This series started with an uneasy feeling surrounding the Yankees. The Bombers entered it dropped two of three in ugly fashion to the Astros during the week and with Boston have constructed a team tailor made to exploit the Yanks weaknesses, it felt like this was going to be the weekend the Sox finally jumped in the standings. But momentum (good or bad) is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher and Friday’s Yankee starter was Cam Schlittler, who took the ball against the team he seemingly loves to face. He turned in a stellar outing, Paul Goldschmidt got him a lead that he nor the pen would relinquish, thanks to an unreal throw from Cody Bellinger. It wasn’t pretty but the 1-0 win was vital and it put aside some of the negativity around the team.

Of course, the only thing that could kill Schlittler’s momentum was a Yankee stinker and boy did they deliver on that front in the first game of Saturday’s double header. Carlos Rodon got the ball in the first game and between the bad defense, the base running and the lack of offense, he was just about doomed to fail to from get go. He wasn’t bad overall, but it never mattered considering how little hitting they did, final score 6-0 Boston. So back to the drawing board they went, and they flipped the script entirely scoring nine runs Saturday night on 11 hits, all of them singles on route to a 9-2 win. Max Fried did start the game, fresh off the IL and he looked…alright in an outing he can hopefully improve upon soon. That brings us to Sunday’s finale, a game that would decide the season series tiebreaker and either send Boston out of town trailing by two games or four games.

This game was essentially a must win and somehow the offense outdid themselves from Saturday night, putting 16 runs on the board, thanks to a barrage of home runs, the biggest of which came off the bat of Heliot Ramos who has struggled mightily so far. Will Warren matcher the offense in the performance department, going seven plus and allowing just one run, a far cry from his ugly outing Tuesday against the offensively challenged Stros. All in all, this one of the most fun days of the Yankee season as the beatdown has Boston further off the Yanks pace and their fans in a tailspin.

It’s so strange documenting this years team. On one hand the uplifting moments have me believing that if and when Judge returns, they can to another level be a real threat in the AL. But on another the flaws in the roster (too many DH’s, too many lefties, not enough arms in the pen) make me think it will be too much to overcome regardless of 99’s return. All the issues I just mentioned above hurt the team at points throughout these six games at home. The offense was spotty and struggles with men in scoring position, the platoon pieces aren’t good enough to hit real lefty pitching and the bullpen is running on absolute fumes.

Aside from the talented starting pitching, some key position players helped generate the success against Boston this weekend. While Ben Rice was a bit less of a factor this time around, fellow first baseman Luis Garcia has been absolutely raking. Number 26 is on an absolute roll as he has sent a host of ball over the wall as well lined plenty of singles and doubles. Joining him in that department was Paul Goldshmidt, who reminded everyone can still be impactful against lefty pitcher. We mentioned Bellinger’s defense earlier, but he also had a strong week with the bat and glove. All of these guys and hopefully a few more provide Judge with enough of a supporting cast to go far again this year.

Speaking of number 99, it sounds like we’re just about a week or so out from seeing Aaron Judge back in the everyday lineup. While it will be a big lift, I can’t help but the shake the feeling that the ceiling still isn’t very high for this group. They’ll need reinforcements in the pen as well, and perhaps the new call ups will help in that area, as Luis Gil was called up to join the bullpen following and it sounds like Clarke Schmidt won’t be far behind him when rosters expand. If both can boost the pen and stop Blackburn and Hedrick stop pitching every single night, then this team’s outlook got a whole lot better. Keep an eye out for the return of Anthony Volpe, who may find his way back at shortstop if George Lombard Jr. is more than day to day, or at second in a platoon with Jazz as Boone tries to find lineup combo’s that work for him.

Next up is a trip to the west coast, the first of two this month as the Yankees take on the Angels and the Padres. Anaheim is playing out the string while San Diego is desperate for the games, so it will be two different ends of the playoff spectrum in Cali. They’ll follow that up with a home stand against Colorado and the Mets, which is the scheduled for the week that Aaron Judge is rumored to return, some added spice to an already emotional week in the city. They’ll need to not look past Minnesota and Arizona, both of whom will need the games, before they get the Rays in here for a four-game series that will decide the Eastern crown. I’m not going to make any crazy predictions or tell you what should happen from here, as this team is frankly too unpredictable. Frankly at this point I’d tell you it’s time to just sit back and watch what happens…while preparing for a heavy deuce of stress. All I ask is that they are still within striking distance of the Rays by the time that series is played.

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