Stretch-run schedule favors Yankees
Nick Swisher celebrates his RBI single during the fifth inning of a game against Baltimore. (Sept. 2, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees enter Monday's off-day with a one-game lead on the Orioles in the AL East. The rest of their schedule suggests they'll have ample opportunity to add to that margin.
The three AL East teams that are still in the thick of the division and Wild Card races all have varying degrees of difficulty in their final 16 games of the 2012 season:
Yankees
| Team | Games left | Overall record | vs. Yankees |
| Toronto | 7 | 66-79 | 5-6 |
| Oakland | 3 | 84-62 | 4-3 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 60-87 | 2-2 |
| Boston | 3 | 66-81 | 5-10 |
Those four teams have a .471 combined winning percentage and the Yankees have gone 21-16 (.567) against them this season.
Orioles
| Team | Games left | Overall record | vs. Orioles |
| Seattle | 3 | 70-77 | 1-5 |
| Boston | 6 | 66-81 | 4-8 |
| Toronto | 4 | 66-79 | 5-9 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | 78-68 | 6-9 |
Those teams have a combined .486 winning percentage this season and the Orioles have gone 31-16 (.659) against them this season.
Rays
| Team | Games left | Overall record | vs. Rays |
| Boston | 6 | 66-81 | 7-5 |
| White Sox | 4 | 79-66 | 3-0 |
| Toronto | 3 | 66-79 | 4-11 |
| Baltimore | 3 | 82-64 | 9-6 |
The Rays draw the tough-luck card here. They're the only team of the three AL East contenders to face squads with a combined winning percentage over .500 (.502) and the only team to be below .500 (.488) against their end-of-season competition.
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