Stanton and offense help the Yankees struggles

The Yankees were expected to be that bad team that continued to struggle but managed to get some wins, as they went 3-3 this past week.

It started with a series versus the Houston Astros, as they came to town in a three-game weekend series. This continued Altuve's damage against the Yankees, as he hit two home runs, increasing his career home runs to 19 against the Yankees.

The first game of the series was the most talked-about game, as while the offense was held to two runs apiece, the game went to extras. Boone brought in Devin Williams in a high-leverage spot, with the runner-on-second rule in place. He allowed a wild pitch, then a single to Correa for the Astros to take the lead, and then a couple of force outs later, he gave up a two-run home run to Taylor Trammell. The Yankees eventually lost 5-3.

A big problem seems to be Boone going to Williams in spots that he doesn't need to when the Yankees had other options like David Bednar. This is specifically why Cashman went out to get those options, to avoid bringing in a struggling reliever in a spot like that.

The Yankees won the second game of the series via a Trent Grisham home run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Camilo Doval made throwing errors and allowed a walk, which Altuve then hit for an RBI to bring the Yankees' lead to 4-3, then walked Correa. Boone brought in Bednar, who allowed a game-tying walk but struck out the next two batters. Bednar closed out the ninth for the win.

The last game, which they lost, showed the problems they may face in the playoffs, as they had the ace Max Fried on the mound, and the game didn't go his way. He allowed four runs, eight hits in five innings, while the offense only scored one run in the game. They lost 7-1. A big deal was Devin Williams pitching a 1-2-3 inning, as he struck out the side, showing how he should be brought into low-leverage situations to regain his confidence and game.

The Yankees faced off against the Minnesota Twins, a team that just traded 10 of its players from the 26-man roster. The series showed promise as they are currently battling for one of the wild card spots.

The offense hit a combined 15 runs in the first games, but also only allowed 3 runs, showing how both can be a dominant force together, which makes this team a force in the playoffs. But with the recent struggles showing the weaknesses, especially when Judge was out on the I.L., it will take a lot more for each player to step up. As Stanton did, homering twice, which included a 4-hit game.

After the Twins series, the Yankees improved to 64-57 and held the last wild card spot in the American League.

The Yankees look to fight for the wild card and AL East spot, with teams like the Mariners, Astros, and Red Sox. Decisions like which bullpen guys Boone brings in at the right time will be so key down the stretch, as we've seen in the past month, those can hurt the games when the offense can't hit. Seeing how the duo of Judge and Stanton will hit will also determine how many wins the team can get against teams that are contenders, while seeing how guys like Wells and Volpe have got to step up as both are struggling, and we'll need the bottom of the lineup to have a top offense to determine wins.