With eight wins in their last nine games, the New York Yankees have shot back into contention. Their latest 7-1 win over the Houston Astros was a testament to the end of their pitching staff woes and the lineup firing without entirely relying on Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.With a 77-61 record, the Yankees are chasing the Toronto Blue Jays, who are 2.5 games ahead in the American League East race. But as per Dan Plesac of the MLB Network, New York is the best team in the league over not just the Blue Jays but other contenders like the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers."I think the Yankees have solved the bullpen issues. Devin Williams has thrown much better. I just look at that postseason," Plesac said. "You don't need that much depth in starting rotation. If you have two, you're in good shape. If you have three, it's even better. Rodon's been so consistent. Max Fried has been great."Every team has had these big sways, ups and downs, and the Yankees really hit rock bottom. Volpe's starting to play a little bit better right now. I think the Yankees right now, they've caught their breath. That bad baseball is in the rearview mirror.They run out some really good starting pitching. And the reason why I say that, I think the Blue Jays right now have some major issues in the bullpen. The Yankees don't have that."Indeed, there were some concerns from the Yankees' bullpen when marquee signing Devin Williams suffered. Trade acquisitions Camilo Doval and David Bednar, too, weren't effective in early August.However, Williams has earned just one run since Aug. 10. Doval had two brilliant outings against the Washington Nationals, while Bednar has lowered his ERA to 2.70 in 11 appearances for the Yankees. Moreover, the re-addition of Fernando Cruz to the bullpen has boosted their confidence massively.Tim Hill and Luke Weaver continue to be high-leverage arms as well. Apart from Max Fried and Carlos Rodon's consistency in rotation, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe are a perfect supporting cast to Judge, Stanton and Cody Bellinger.While seven of the eight wins in their current streak have come against the Washington Nationals and the Chicago White Sox, the Bombers have found the momentum that was missing.Yankees take series opener in Houston, thanks to Max Fried and Trent GrishamMax Fried pitched seven innings of one-run ball, while Trent Grisham hit his second grand slam in five games to help the Yankees beat the Astros at Daikin Park on Tuesday. Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went yard twice for New York, who needed just one bullpen arm of Paul Blackburn to finish the game.The series on the road is particularly crucial for New York as it looks to stay within 3.0 games of Toronto, who it faces over the weekend, at home at Yankee Stadium, to challenge for the AL East lead.