The Yankees are in first place with just over 71 games to play, 17 of which are set to be played against the second place Tampa Bay Rays and third place Boston Red Sox (who trail New York by three and 6 1/2 games, respectively).
Here are some things to watch out for as baseball heads into its home stretch:
Nick Swisher: Since Swisher was announced as a candidate for the final spot on the American League All-Star team on July 4, he’s hit .381 with a .435 OBP, 3 home runs, 8 runs scored and a walk-off game-winning hit. Swish showed us last year that when he gets hot he can carry an offense….unfortunately, we also learned last year that he can also go dead cold at the plate for long stretches of time.
As the #2 hitter, when Swisher’s hitting well and getting on base, it creates opportunities for the Yankees’ power front to see hittable pitches. If Swisher can carry his career-year through the second half, we could see the Yankees offense become even more potent. But, if his bat goes dead, it’ll put extra pressure on Mark Teixeira and
