New York Yankees
Clint Frazier #77, DJ LeMahieu #26 and Kyle Higashioka #66 of the New York Yankees and teammates Brett Gardner (2nd R) #11 and Aaron Judge (R) #99 look on from the bench during Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at PETCO Park on October 06, 2020 in San Diego, California. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The New York Yankees have turned their season around over the course of just a few weeks, positioning themselves for another playoff push. As they continue to climb the standings, the Yankees are now odds-on favorites to be one of the five American League teams to reach the 2021 MLB postseason.

New York overcame four blown saves to defeat the Kansas City Royals in 11 innings Monday night, improving its record to 62-50. With 50 games left on the regular-season schedule, the Yankees only trail the Boston Red Sox by two games for the AL’s second wild-card berth.

The Oakland Athletics are two games in front of the Yankees and a percentage point ahead of the Red Sox for the top wild-card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays are six games ahead of the Yankees for the AL East lead.

The Yankees have -125 odds to make the playoffs, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. FranGraphs estimates that New York has a 52.7% chance of reaching the postseason. On July 25, the Yankees were only given a 34.7% chance to play beyond the regular season.

Tampa Bay is a -140 favorite to win the AL East. New York has +575 odds to come back and win the division. Boston sits at +300.

Over the last month, the Yankees and Rays are tied with an MLB-best 21-9 record. New York’s 3.29 ERA in the last 30 days ranks third in all of baseball. The team’s offense continues to have issues, but timely hitting has helped give the Yankees more comeback wins than all but two teams.

The additions of Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo at the trade deadline have paid immediate dividends for the Yankees. The two sluggers have combined to hit four home runs with 9 RBI in 74 at-bats.

Rizzo landed on the COVID-IL Sunday, joining Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery and Gary Sanchez.

Boston is near the bottom of the league with a 13-17 record over its last 30 games. The Red Sox failed to upgrade their pitching at the trade deadline, and the team has posted a 5.00 ERA over the past month. Boston’s once-vaunted lineup ranks 26th in runs scored during that same span.

The Red Sox and Yankees start a key three-game series on Aug. 17. Oakland and New York start a four-game series on Aug. 26.

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