With 18 games left, the Yankees cannot settle for 9-9

The Yankee schedule shows 8 games remaining against bona fide, stock-issued tomato cans: Minnesota (2), Toronto (3) and Baltimore (3). But only the Twins - 3-7 over their last 10 - look like low-hanging sausage on the meatball tree.

Both the miserable Jays and O's - whose manager, old man Buck, in perhaps his final incarnation - hate the Yankees with a passion hotter than a billion suns. Both will pretend these games are the 2018 World Series, and then go back to sleepwalking through the last dregs of September.  

That said, it shouldn't be a Herculean task to win each of these series, (especially since we're already one-up on the Twinkies.) That means going 6-3 against the demoralized cupcakes. Anything less, and Boonie will have some 'splainin' to do in Suzyn's Clubhouse Reports.

After that, we host Boston (3), then finish with a brutal seven in rebel stronghold Tampa (4) and Hell's Ground Zero itself, the sinkhole of Fenway, (3), where our 2018 season collapsed, and where the natives would do anything to sabotage our Wild Card home advantage. Clearly, they will view the final weekend as a tune-up for the playoffs, but not as games in which they should push a starter beyond his pitch count, or play an outfielder who needs a rest. I doubt they'd want to start a bean-ball war or an MMA steel cage match on the eve of their most highly anticipated post-season since their racist fan base got a glimpse of Bob Gibson. We've seen how a fastball can chip a giant's wrist; it would snap Mookie Betts' arm like a Number 2 pencil. If Boston wants to mud-wrestle, they better do it with lineup from Pawtucket.

So... let's say we win the Boston series at home - but then lose 4 of 7 during the final week. (The Rays always play hard against us.) That would put us at 11-7 over the final stretch, and to snatch away our home field advantage, Oakland would have to win 15 of 18. Even with a schedule full of tomato cans - their only tough games should be against the  Rays (3) this weekend - going 15-3 is a tough hill to climb. 

Our eyes are turning to Aaron Judge in the batters' cages, and one of these days, Aroldis Chapman will throw off a flat surface. We need to move incrementally and slowly toward putting out best team on the field in October. But we better beat the patsies. The last thing we need is a string of "must" games in the final week. We cannot settle for .500.