{"id":82340,"date":"2024-08-06T22:51:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T02:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=82340"},"modified":"2024-08-06T22:51:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T02:51:12","slug":"yankees-x-factors-division-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/06\/yankees-x-factors-division-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Yankees X-Factors in Quest for Division Title"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breaking fresh into the month of August, the New York Yankees are setting their eyes on the prize. With just under two months remaining in the regular season, the American League pennant race is heating up. In an intense divisional battle, the Yankees have some x-factors that will be crucial in their quest for a deep October run.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bronx Bombers are rolling through the second half of the season and the big dogs continue to do their thing. New York is 7-3 in their last 10 games, and they\u2019re tied with the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the American League East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yankees Offensive Core Starting to Dominate Again<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Yankees made some minor additions<\/a> at the trade deadline. Their transactions didn\u2019t fully fill the concerning holes in the lineup. However, they did make some improvements. The main battery pack of the offense continues to produce at a high level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aaron Judge<\/a> has already reached the 41-home run mark with 103 RBI. Recently he\u2019s been seeing more bases-on-balls, especially intentional ones. Juan Soto<\/a> has hit out 28 homers, along with 78 RBI and a .310 batting average.\u00a0 While the rest of the lineup still has room for improvement, the core of the Yankees lineup continues to be successful.<\/p>\n

Which Yankees Will Be X-Factors in the Playoff Push?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The first X-factor comes in the starting rotation, namely Luis Gil<\/a>. His recent status as a starter was questioned after some struggles, but the team was reassured<\/a> of his abilities in July. Gil earned the fifth starter spot this season and showed out early on.<\/span><\/p>\n

For a few weeks, he was on a slow decline, and his role was up in the air. As of recently, Gil has bounced back and regained track as a starter. The right-hander has 11 wins and five losses this season with a 3.20 ERA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Luis Gil bump day \ud83d\ude24@MontefioreNYC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lxm7KL8qP5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n