3 reasons the New York Yankees will lose the American League East

The New York Yankees' vanishing act during the second half of the season could be nominated for the magic trick of the decade. If they take this act any further, they could see their name disappear entirely from atop the American League East.

If you're ready to crown the New York Yankees division champions, you might want to hold off. In fact, the analytics and projections of September tell an entirely different story altogether, a story that bears no fairytale ending for the Pinstripes.

Here are three reasons the beloved Bronx Bombers will falter in the division race.

#1 A punishing September schedule

Yankees get heated in benches-clearing brawl.

Naysayers in denial of the New York Yankees' inevitable collapse fail to factor in their rugged schedule ahead. Of their nine series in September, six are against teams jostling for playoff position.

"September Schedule" - YankeesDugout99

That includes two three-game sets against the Tampa Bay Rays and one three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, all within the division. Yes, there are favorable matchups sprinkled in between. Most of their upcoming opponents have been playing playoff-style baseball down the stretch, a level the New York Yankees have struggled to match in the second half.

#2 A shaken clubhouse

New York Yankees v Toronto Blue Jays

There's a reason big trades at the deadline are a gamble, especially for teams like the Yankees, who were already on a roll to begin with. The saying, "If it's not broken, don't fix it," couldn't be more true of the Pinstripes. In this case, the unquenched desire to always be better may have backfired. Tampering with the preformed mold that had already taken shape has noticeably distorted the finished product.

As cliche as it may sound, a locker room presence, or lack thereof, makes a big difference on the field. What fans don't see off the field is often the most important winning ingredient that leads to on-field production. The puns of the "Joey Gallo curse" may be in jest, but perhaps there's more need for his locker room presence than previously thought.

"What a turn of events" - Matt LaBelle

Gaging from the public praise of former Yankee Joey Gallo's character, it sounds as if the Yankees could use his personality in the clubhouse.

#3 Atrocious pitching and silent bats at the worst time

Yankees congregate for a mound visit.

Common sense tells you that bad pitching and bad hitting are the worst ingredients for any team. Unfortunately, the Bronx Bombers have suffered from a combination of both far too often. A 30-year-old Domingo German, who has only 49 innings under his belt, is not the answer. In fact, it's becoming glaringly evident that their very need in the rotation is the young pitcher they shipped out in the Andrew Benintendi trade.

While the Yanks' offense should recover at some point in September, there's no immediate solution in sight for their pitching woes. Having to overcome inconsistent pitching with your bats on a nightly basis is a heavy burden on any team. The burden may prove too much for the New York Yankees to retain the division lead.

Add in the fact that the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are beginning to heat up, and there's even less room for error. Look on the bright side, though. At least they still have the Wild Card.