The Yankees can get by like this for now

It is hard to write poetry about competence and doing enough to win.But here are the Yankees — five games into the postseason — forcing us to appreciate a proficient B-plus.They have advanced out of the Division Series and taken a lead now in the ALCS with stellar run prevention while too often making the least out of the most on offense.Perhaps this is a formula that stands up well when the competition is the AL Central, which is all that separates the Yankees from their first pennant since 2009.The Yankees did not pick their competition and are doing what they should as the overdog.

Beating who is in front of them.“We’re in a really good spot, but I think at the same time, I don’t think we have played our best baseball yet,” Anthony Volpe said on Sunday.On Monday, nothing changed.The Yankees beat the Guardians 5-2 behind particularly strong work from Carlos Rodon, Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver.

They received Juan Soto’s first Yankees postseason homer to open the scoring and yet another blast from Giancarlo Stanton to close it.But mainly on offense they did more squandering, keeping them from a comfort zone in a game.They were hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position and are now 6-for-41 (.146 this postseason).For the fourth time in five October games, Aaron Judge was handed a chance to deliver a blow to send an AL Central foe into thinking they were messing with the wrong team at the wrong time.

He had two on and no outs in each of the first two games against the Royals and struck out.The Yankees had one in and one on in Game 4 and Judge hit into a double play.Against Cleveland, Gleyber Torres led off the bottom of the first with a 107.5 mph single and Soto followed with one at 110 mph.

Both against Alex Cobb, who was making just his fifth start of an injury-wrecked season.He is part of the Guardians weakness — their rotation.

The Yankees must do damage against it to avoid Cleveland’s late-inning bullpen strength.So Judge had a ...