New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone on soaring Baltimore Orioles: "They’re a force. They’re a problem. They’re a really good team"

After several seasons of occupying the American Leage East basement, the Baltimore Orioles are once again a team for the New York Yankees to reckon with.

New York opens a three-game series against Baltimore at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. The Yankees find themselves in an unfamiliar position of being three games behind the Orioles as the series begins.

On Baltimore's resurgence as a team to be contended with, Aaron Boone told Chris Kirschner of The Athletic:

"They're a force. They're a problem. They're a really good team."

Both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles are hot on the trail of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays as the series begins. The Yankees have won eight of their last 10 and enter Tuesday at 29-20, six games out of first place. The Orioles are 31-16, three games out of first with seven wins in their last 10 games.

The Baltimore Orioles have not made the playoffs since losing the AL Wild Card game in 2016. In the seasons since, Baltimore has finished dead last in the division four times and fourth twice.

However, last year was a turning point for the team as the wealth of high draft picks the Orioles secured through six moribund seasons began to become MLB talent. Baltimore still finished fourth last season due to the extreme competitiveness of the division, but made a run at the playoffs before finishing 83-79 – the team's first winning record since 2016.

The 2016 season was the last time the New York Yankees failed to make the playoffs. However, the team hasn't reached the World Series since winning New York's 27th MLB championship in 2009. After a rough start to the season, largely due to injuries, the Yankees have righted the ship and are playing their best baseball of the season heading into the series against the Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles/New York Yankees series a crucial one

Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run.

This is the second meeting of the season between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees took two of three games when the teams met at Oriole Park at Camden Yards April 7-9.

Depending on the outcome of the Rays' series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles could pull into a first-place tie with a sweep. On the flip side, the Yankees could tie the Orioles for second place with a sweep.