The Yankees have come out strong in the second half, despite a very shaky weekend. The 1995 team was nine games under .500 in late June but took advantage of a 38-23 finish (but more importantly, a 25-6 finish) to finish 14 games over .500.
After the All-Star break, that team, despite struggles into the last week of August, went 49-29.
The differences? That was a strike-shortened year (144 games) and the Yankees of 2007 will likely not make the playoffs with a .549 winning percentage (equivalent to about 89 wins).
However, the team, which bottomed out at eight games under .500 on May 29, is 13-6 since the break and 35-20 since May 29. Boston is 28-26 (although, they were a ridiculous 36-15 on May 29) since then, and Cleveland is 29-26. Seattle is still in the hunt despite few believers, and the team is 32-23 since May 29. No one is falling apart, and Boston and Cleveland are likely to play better for the rest of the season. So it puts emphasis on the Yankees' continuing play along the lines of 13-6.
And the focus must still be the wild card. Four games back isn't much. Eight in the division is a lot, though. And until a playoff spot is secure (i.e., a lead in the wild card), one can't get greedy. Especially with the maddening inconsistency this club shows.
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