Felz Stats of the Day.

• Through 1/6th of the season, the Orioles have allowed 91 runs and the Yankees have allowed 125 runs.
• Through 1/6th of the season, the Yankees' calculated percentage of making the playoffs is 47.3%.

If the AL East whipping boys are truly improved -- if this isn't a small-sample-size illusion -- then the Yankees might not have be able to tap into 25 or so pre-ordained victories:

"Back to 2012, the Yankees feel very much like the disjointed team their record reflects. Kuroda, their second starter, now has three good starts and three bad ones on his resume. Today, as they try to salvage a series split, the Yankees turn to Phil Hughes, who has been nothing short of awful so far this season. And who could lose his job to the returning Andy Pettitte, pitching today for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barres, as soon as next weekend.

The offense still ranks near the top of the league in runs scored (131), but the heart of the order — Rodriguez, Cano and Mark Teixeira — hasn’t scared anyone. Cano and Teixeira have been flat-out terrible, and A-Rod has one extra-base hit (an April 27 homer against Detroit) in his last 11 games.

...

Throw in the injuries to Mariano Rivera (right knee) and Joba Chamberlain (right ankle) and Michael Pineda’s right shoulder surgery creating immense organizational disappointment about the Montero trade, and you have a baseball club that’s down in the dumps, not to mention down from Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Toronto in the standings."

I think the playoff% calculation probably doesn't factor in the Yankees' deep pockets. But is that really their only solution? Wait until July and then find some better starting pitchers?