Yankees half game up over the Rays with 19 to play

While most of the country will be watching the football season start, I know I'll be tuning into the Yanks and Rangers. The Yankees have lost the last two games in heart breaking fashion, both games they could have easily won. Joba did his best impression of himself, replicating game 4 of the 2009 World Series when he gave up a home run to Pedro Feliz. Well this time he gave up the tying shot to Nelson Cruz. A few innings later with Chad Gaudin in Cruz homered again for the win. The last night after a clutch hit by Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera walks two batters and hits a batter to give the Rangers a victory. So it is safe to say the Yankees cant wait to leave Texas.

The bombers may want to bolt from the lone star state, but it wont get much easier. The Yankees will head to Tropicana field to play the surging Rays and defend their slim lead in first. It will be like a small playoff preview, the games should be sold out down in Tampa (if they are not then they don't deserve to have a team anymore). If the season ended today and the Yanks won the AL East, they would have to face the Texas Rangers. The Rangers may have been swept in the Bronx in April, but since then the Rangers have had their way with the Yanks outside of one game that the bombers came back to win. So winning the Wild Card may not be the worst thing in the world for the Yankees, since they would get to face the Twins.