Here are my thoughts on why everyone should be worried
1. They are not getting any younger: Jeter is playing in his 17th MLB August, which is not easy on a 38 year old's bones. Ichiro (38), Ibanez (40), Kuroda (37), Jones (35), A-Rod (37). Yes, they have the experience down the stretch but aching bones don't help in October.
2. Pitching Staff has been so-so. Yes, I understand they have been handcuffed by injuries to the pitching staff. In the MLB rankings they are 11th in ERA, 17th in Quality Starts, 14th in WHIP, and 17th in BAA. If they want to have any shot in October they need to step it up on the bump.
3. The Extra Wild Card: No longer do we only have one Wild Card team in the MLB playoffs (as you all know). The two top "Wild Card" finishers will duke it out for the chance to play a 5 game series against the Top team in their respective league. That means that more teams will be in it to win it later in the season. No more gimme games in September.
Here are my thoughts on why you should not be worried:
1. They have too much firepower: Do you think they will go quietly into the night with the bats they have? 1st in the league in slugging percentage.
2. One of the best playoff pitchers: Andrew Eugene Pettitte has the record for all time Postseason wins with 19. Granted some of the greats didn't have 3 rounds to boost their totals but he has 5-4 record with a 4.06 ERA during the October Classic in 13 Games (77.2 innings).
3. Why do the Yankees always win? It is as simple as that.
Yankees will be fine but keep an eye on those O's. Buck runs a tight ship and will have them fighting til the end.
