What a difference a week makes. What started off as a cushy 6 game lead in the AL East for the Yankees has now devolved into a 1 and ½ game margin inspiring every Chicken Little to come out of the woodwork to proclaim “The sky is falling!” George Steinbrenner definitely left his mark on this Yankee team and its fanbase.

So, what do we know? The Blue Jays are for real, at least for this week. This is the same Blue Jay team that has been projected to make noise in the AL East since 2006, and a team that some predicted to win it all in 2013. All that was missing apparently was David Price and Troy Tulowitzki. Yes, this is a much improved Toronto squad, just in the last two weeks alone. And yes, the Yankees getting swept at home by the Blue Jays while only scoring one run was disheartening, but it’s not the end of the world. There’s still seven weeks left in the season and anything can happen, anything.

The Blue Jays and Yankees are cut from the same cloth. The teams are ranked 1st and 2nd in baseball in offense and 14th and 17th in pitching, respectively. The big difference at the moment would be Toronto’s acquisition of an ace. David Price is the very definition of a number one guy who gives your team a chance to win every fifth game. The Yankees on the other hand have been more reliant on their bullpen to pitch them to victories.

But the Yankee starting pitching has shown improvement over the last week. Luis Severino was very impressive in his MLB debut against the Boston Red Sox. Nathan Eovaldi and Masahiro Tanaka were effective, if not dominant, in their starts against the Blue Jays. And even C.C. Sabathia provided some spark with six innings of one-run ball in his most recent start.

And the offense will return. It’s been at or near the top of the league all season long. Perhaps it was just the shock of seeing such good Toronto pitching. But a lineup with Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner at the top followed by A-Roid, Mark Teixeira, and Brian McCann is too good to keep down for too long. The Yankees have scored all season long and they will score again despite this recent rough patch.

Up next, the Yankees have a three game set against the Cleveland Indians followed by a trip north of the border to face the vaunted Blue Jays on their home turf. The Yankees are still in first place in the AL East with plenty of season left. But, it might not be a bad idea for Joe Girardi to look up Dennis Green’s famous 2006 rant after losing to the Chicago Bears and get it ready for September. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Toronto Blue Jays “are who we thought they were.” And I pray the Yankees don’t let them off the hook.