McBroomed in Tampa. Who are the 2018 Yankees?

The plan was to put some space between us and Boston, so a series win next week could put us permanently in charge of the AL East. So much for that. The only separation we're going to see will be with Chasen Shreve, who cannot do squat, and Gary Sanchez, who cannot squat.

But we're about to learn the truth about the 2018 Yankees. It's one thing to have a power-packed lineup that scores boatloads of runs, and which can practically phone-in a slot in the post-season Wild Card game. It's another to win a pennant race and launch a future Yankee dynasty.

We've spent the last three months touting our depth throughout the farm system, almost begging for an outfielder to tweak something, so we could show off Clint Frazier or Brandon Drury. Now, we're looking at a month of Austin Romine, while we relearn how to spell Kyle Higashioka, whose bat - nonexistent last year in NY - had utterly disappeared in Scranton (.196 for the year.) Suddenly, our rotation is cracked, and we're struggling to score runs... all this, as the pivotal Boston series nears.

Swept in Tampa. How the fuck does that happen? Well, nobody hits with runners on base... that's how. But before this, our last clunker series came against the Rangers, which - like the Rays - were already preparing to tank on the season. The Yankees rolled in, expecting some laughers, and limped away like Gary Sanchez, with their nut sacks on ice.

After the Texas series, the Yankees went 12-3, ripping through the Angels, Astros and Orioles. Maybe they needed to be embarrassed, pushed to the wall. Maybe they just got lucky. We will soon see who the 2018 Yankees really are. We are no longer a super team full of big bats. We are a team that is finally tasting its own blood. And soon, Boston will be knocking.