Boone Logan called the Yankees road to the postseason “an uphill battle” thanks to the deficit they face, but the lefty is pretty confident about their chances if they do get to the playoffs.
“Even with our struggles, we’ve kind of idled throughout the year,” Logan said prior to the Yankees 6-5 win over the White Sox last night at The Stadium. “Now, we’ve got our good team together, and I’ve always said if we make the playoffs we’ll probably go all the way. Maybe our overall numbers don’t show it, but that’s because we haven’t had this team all year.”
The uphill battle continues in earnest tonight, when the Red Sox — who lead the AL East by eight games — visit The Bronx, the first of 11 straight games against division foes, Boston and Baltimore.
The Yankees left Fenway Park on Aug. 18 with tensions high after Ryan Dempster drilled Alex Rodriguez on the elbow, nearly starting a brawl and sparking a comeback win over the Red Sox.
It led to a five-game winning streak and got the Yankees thinking about the playoffs again and the team insists that remains the focus as the four-game series — especially now that nearly three weeks have passed since the fireworks at Fenway.
“I think time is always good,” manager Joe Girardi said. “Obviously, we know what’s at stake and we have to go out and play the games and win the games.”
And that’s why the manager isn’t concerned about any pitchers taking matters into their own hands.
“I think our guys understand that,” Girardi said. “I don’t expect there to be anything from Major League Baseball or the umpires. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to win.”
Dempster, who didn’t appeal his five-game ban, won’t face the Yankees this time around and no one else on Boston’s staff showed any inclination to throw at Rodriguez.
Following that series, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz prolonged the drama by saying Dempster had given the Yankees a reason to return the favor. CC Sabathia didn’t consider throwing at anyone after Dempster’s pitch and with the Yankees trying to stay alive, a suspension by any pitcher could be especially damaging.
Perhaps that’s why the Yankees are thinking more about potentially catching Boston instead of settling for the wild card.
“It’s possible,” David Robertson said of overtaking Boston. “We still have seven games against the Red Sox, so we have a good chance. I’d like to be little closer and we just want a spot, but you definitely want to win the division to guarantee a five-game series.”
Derek Jeter, however, isn’t ready to look too far ahead.
“You have to catch one team before you start thinking about anybody else,” Jeter said. “It’s an exciting time of the year. It seems like all the teams in the East are playing each other.”
Jeter was rehabbing in Tampa when Rodriguez got hit and the shortstop wasn’t watching the game at the time.
“I was asleep,” Jeter said. “I had to be at the complex early.”
But now he’s back and their continued health is what gives the Yankees confidence.
“It’s a long shot,” Logan said of catching the Red Sox. “But these are the teams we want to beat. No doubt, we’re a brand new team. If we get there, CC is going to be a different pitcher, everyone knows that. Our rotation is going to dominate. We’ve got to get there, though.”