The Yankees continue to do just enough to remain relevant in their quest to play October baseball. After dropping two of three to the Baltimore Orioles last weekend, the Yanks lost two in Miami to the Marlins followed by back to back wins against the same Marlins in the Bronx. At the same time, the Tampa Bay Rays found a way to sneak into the top spot in the AL East and the Toronto Blue Jays are finally justifying their offseason moves by winning 13 of their last 15 games. With the exception of the lowly Sawx, every team is above .500 and the AL East is up for grabs.

While the Yankee offense continues to rank near the top in the AL East, the actual output on a nightly basis tends to be of the feast or famine variety. This is best exemplified by the last two games that saw the Yankees win 2-1 and 9-4. It is hard to actually score the 4.5 runs that the team has averaged over the season so far every game but more often than not they are wasting a lot of good pitching in the process. Masahiro Tanaka continues to dominate with his only shortcoming being the lack of consistent offensive support mentioned earlier. C.C. Sabathia is finding ways to keep his games winnable and Adam Warren keeps solidifying his spot in the rotation. And Michael Pineda seems to back on track based on Wednesday night’s 6+ inning gem. As for Nathan Eovaldi, the bullpen looks like the only option with Ivan Nova’s imminent return.

Offensively, Brett Gardner doesn’t provide the same leadoff stability as Jacoby Ellsbury but still has plenty of upside, as witnessed by last night’s game-tying home run. Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann are still the most consistent performers in this inconsistent lineup. Carlos Beltran keeps showing flashes of dependability, even if he will never return to All-Star form. And recent call up Mason Williams has impressed both with his CF defense and with his bat.

The bullpen, like the engine of my 1983 Toyota Cressida, needs to be regularly monitored for overuse. Recent DL return Chris Martin, who was very effective in April, has seemed to have come down with a case of David Carpenter-itus. Tasked with a protecting a 6-run lead in last night’s game should not have involved the level of anxiety that he induced nor should Dellin Betances have been needed to warmup. On the bright side, Chasen Shreve has excelled as the 6th/7th inning option. Despite a shaky start to his season, Justin Wilson has found his home as a power-arm option in the 7th/8th inning. And Dellin Betances continues to mow down hitters no matter when Joe Girardi calls upon him.

Earlier this season, the Yankees made a statement by taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers at Comerica. They have an opportunity to add to that statement with the Tigers visiting this weekend. The Yankees have the talent and the resources, but do they have the resolve? I hope so.