Opposite dugout: Yanks try to keep Birds out of postseason

Manager: Joe Girardi (9th season)

Record: 83-76

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: C Gary Sanchez (.303/.378/.672 with 20 HR, 42 RBIs), SS Didi Gregorius (.275 with 20 HR, 69 RBIs), 2B Starlin Castro (.272 with 21 HR, 70 RBIs), RHP Masahiro Tanaka (14-4, 3.07 ERA), RHP Michael Pineda (6-11, 4.58 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: 8-8

Pitching probables:

Sept. 30: RHP Yovani Gallardo vs. RHP Michael Pineda, 7:05 p.m., MASN
Oct. 1: LHP Wade Miley vs. RHP Masahiro Tanaka, 4:05 p.m., MASN
Oct. 2: RHP Kevin Gausman vs. RHP Luis Cessa, 3:05 p.m., MASN

Inside the Yankees:

The Yankees headed into the All-Star break with an even 44-44 record. They certainly weren't out of any postseason contention at that point by any stretch, though most people began viewing the battle for the American League East title as a three-team race that didn't include the boys from New York.

Yet to the Yankees' credit, they entered the regular season's final week with hopes of squeaking their way into the playoffs, thanks in part to a 17-11 mark in the month of August. That dream came to end last night, however, leaving the Yankees on the outside of the playoff picture and hoping to play the role of spoiler.

There aren't many teams who feature a current roster capable of success and the promise of a deep farm system, but the Yankees are certainly one of them. The youth movement all begins with catcher Gary Sanchez, who has taken the league by storm since being called up on Aug. 3 (he did make a spot start on May 13). In just 50 games, Sanchez has belted 20 home runs, good for third-most on the team, and he's hitting right-handers at an impressive .353 mark. Second baseman Starlin Castro has found a dose of power in his first season in the Bronx, batting .272 with 21 home runs, well surpassing his previous career high of 14, while his double play companion, Didi Gregorius, has tallied 153 hits to go along with a .275 average at the plate. Despite batting just above .200 this season, first baseman Mark Teixeira still packs a punch, as evidenced by his walk-off game-winning grand slam in Wednesday's win over the Red Sox. He'll look to make his final series at Yankee Stadium a memorable one, particularly against the Orioles, whose fans loved to greet him on his many trips back to Baltimore.

Michael Pineda is 4-2 lifetime against the Orioles and he'll start tonight's series opener, looking for his seventh win of the season. Pineda has received a no-decision in eight of his last nine starts, but hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in a single start in all of September. Ace Masahiro Tanaka has been on fire since the All-Star break, a big reason the Yankees stayed in contention as long as they did. The right-hander is 7-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his last nine starts and shut out the Orioles over eight innings in his only start against the Birds this year. And while Sanchez is young face in the lineup, rookie Luis Cessa is one of the bright spots on the pitching staff. Cessa started out 4-0, including road wins against the Red Sox and Angels, but he's taken a step back with three straight losses in September. Still, the right-hander boasts a respectable 4.18 ERA and looks to have a chance to be a fixture in the Yankees rotation for the future.

After trading away relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, the Yankees bullpen went from a three-headed monster to, well, just another bullpen. Dellin Betances took over for Chapman in the closer's role, but has struggled to maintain any consistency. He's allowed runs in three of his last four appearances and appears to be getting fatigued down the stretch.