This weekend, Apocalypse Now

It's time to see how the 2018 Yankees might look in October - and whether this team of rising celebrities has a sense of legacy. If we cannot win at least two out of three against Boston, earthquake alarms will blare across the megalopolis, and at least some evacuations will be likely. 

The horror, Mr. Cash, the horror... 

Some reasons... 

1. Well, duh, these are home games. Thus far on the season, against Boston, we are 3-3. We won't play them again until Aug. 2, a four-game set in Fenway.

If we lose this series, we'll go five weeks - through the trade deadline - at a distinct psychological disadvantage. They'll have beaten us at home. If we already worry about a face-lifting Brian Cashman trade, to lose this weekend will boost those horrors by 100 percent.

I imagine Cashman going full Martin Sheen in the hotel room, gulping hard liquor and smashing every mirror until the clubhouse is a wading pool of blood. Anybody could go. His carefully assembled, 2018 Yankee Super-Team of Destiny will have popped like a cheap balloon, and a month before Shark Week arrives, he will need a bigger boat. 

2. "All those little arms, sitting there in a pile..." That won't be Marlon Brando speaking; it'll be Aaron Boone. Boston plans to start three lefties - Rodriguez, Sale, Price - against our powerful RH lineup. Even without Gary Sanchez, we have Judge, Stanton, Torres, Andujar and Hicks - (why the hell is Clint Frazier back in Scranton?) Supposedly, the Yanks plan a roster move - maybe having Tyler Austin or Brandon Drury platoon with the hapless (and running out of time) Greg Bird. We should eat lefties for breakfast.

CC, who pitches Friday, has a 1.93 ERA in his last three starts. Eduardo Rodriguez, for the Redsocks, has been cuffed around (4.60). Okay, game two looks pretty bad - with Chris Sale facing the roller coaster ride known as Sonny Gray. But Sunday night, we have our ace, Luis Severino. And thanks to Gio Gallegos, our bullpen looks surprisingly rested. Boston plays the Angels tonight. Let's hope for a 16-inning slug-fest.

3. "Who's in charge here?" Good question. The hitters should be. Over his last seven games, Giancarlo Stanton is hitting .357. It's time for him to dominate a big series. Meanwhiile, Boston batters have been unbelievably hot. Over their last seven games, eight players - even Jackie Bradley Jr. - are hitting over .300. That can't last. They're due for an ice-down, right?

If Boston wins tonight, they'll come to New York atop the AL East. If they leave Sunday night, still in first - yes, there will still be an entire second half to play, and no, it won't be the end of the season - but they will be baseball's premier team. And the Yankees will be looking to improve. That usually causes an apocalypse, and Armageddon outahere.