Yankees Surge in AL East Race

The Yankees have won five straight games, including a sweep of the Orioles and a series-opening win over the Blue Jays on Aug 21. They now sit 3 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East, down from 7 games earlier. The winning streak has been fueled by strong pitching (Schlittler, Weathers) and timely hitting (Spencer Jones, Ben Rice). The team has momentum heading into the remainder of the critical Toronto series.