Two weeks ago, the New York Yankees held a comfortable lead in the AL East. Now, on the heels of losing seven of their last eight games, they are trying to maintain their slim one game advantage in the division. The loss on Friday to the Baltimore Orioles, currently in last place in the division, particularly stung. Saturday provided some relief with a 9-0 win over the Orioles, as starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt threw seven no-hit innings. However, his exit proved costly. Reliever JT Brubaker entered in the eighth and promptly gave up a hit to Baltimore catcher Gary Sanchez. According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch on X (formerly Twitter), fans were understandably upset.

“Boos at Yankee Stadium as Gary Sanchez breaks up the combined no-hit bid,” posted Hoch on the social media platform. “Leadoff single to start the 8th vs. JT Brubaker.”

The win is what ultimately matters, as the Yankees hope to finally right the ship. Schmidt did throw over 100 pitched in the start, so pulling him after seven innings was likely the smart choice by New York manager Aaron Boone. Nevertheless, Brubaker recovered from Sanchez's single and shut the O's down for the rest of the victory. Moving towards Sunday's series finale, can the Yankees win their second game in a row and try to rebuild their margin in the East?

Yankees look to right recent poor form, regain momentum

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It's fitting that it was Sanchez, the former Yankee catcher, who broke up the no-hit bid. Although he never truly lived up to the hype he had in his early years in the Bronx, Sanchez has remade himself into a solid veteran option. In hindsight, a reunion where he could have backed up current Bronx Bombers catcher Austin Wells would have made sense this past offseason.

Nevertheless, it's time for both teams to shift focus to Sunday. Although this season has been mostly a lost one in Baltimore, every win helps build the team's fragile morale back up. For the Yankees, maintaining the lead over the fast-charging Tampa Bay Rays is paramount. Can they get it done in front of the home fans on Sunday and win the series? If so, then things will continue to brighten at Yankee Stadium.