MLB: New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics

New York Yankees designated hitter Carlos Beltran (36) hits a single against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum.

(Kelley L Cox-USA Today Sports)

When Yankees fans woke up on May 6, some combination of panic, acceptance and sadness probably sunk in. At 9-17, last year's American League playoff team looked like a squad on the path to a bad summer for the first time in decades.



While it was too early to panic, some did.



Since that moment? New York has won 12 of 17, moved to within a game of .500 and is heading home after an impressive--regardless of the caliber of opponent--four-game weekend sweep in Oakland.

The hot streak is being reflected in the Yankees' postseason odds.



Heading into play on May 9--after winning two of three from the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium--FiveThirtyEight's projection system gave the Yankees just a 14 percent chance of making the postseason and projected the team to finish with 76 wins. One week later--after continuing a successful home stand vs. the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox--the odds were up to 16 percent and win total at 78.



Now? Heading into play on May 23, the Yankees are projected to finish at 80-82 and hold a 22 percent chance to make the playoffs.

Why Yankees are winning



No, it's not 90-plus wins or a 50-plus percent chance at the postseason, but it's a stark difference from where the team sat just a few weeks ago. With the Red Sox (93 wins), Mariners (90 wins) and White Sox (87 wins) as the current projected division winners, the system pits the Yankees in a wild card race with the rest of the American League.



Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.