Bobby Abreu’s 10th-inning double sent the Yankees to a 2-1 win over the first-place Rays on Wednesday to cap a two-game series sweep.

It’s hard to call a game before the All-Star break a must-win, but at this time of year this is as close as it gets.

It’s critical for the Yanks to stay within striking distance of the upstart Rays, who would be well served to build as big a lead as possible in the East, running away and hiding from the more experienced teams that are chasing them.

Teams made up of young players, and young pitchers in particular, often hit a wall come the Dog Days of August and into September. Only time will tell if that happens to the Rays, but it won’t matter for the Yankees if they’re staring at a double-digit deficit.

That’s why the Bronx Bombers couldn’t have picked a better time to string together a couple of the best performances of the season. And after Wednesday’s win, they’re only 6 ½ games back; obviously much better than trailing by 10 ½ games.

But this isn’t only about the East. Other than the BoSox, no team in the wild-card chase is more talented than N.Y.

The overachieving A’s (and that hurts to say, because I’m an Oakland fan) have thrown in the towel with the Rich Harden trade, and other than a great bullpen and the M&M boys, the Twins don’t have a whole lot that scares you. And of the teams behind New York (Tigers, Rangers, Orioles, Blue Jays), only Detroit has the ability to make a legit postseason push.

Personally, I think the Red Sox and Yankees will both eventually overtake the Rays, with Boston comfortably winning the division and either New York or Detroit grabbing the wild card.

I probably wouldn’t have said that a week ago, but maybe the Yankees have turned a corner heading into the All-Star break. If they have, you can thank the pitching for that. Mike Mussina has been a rock most of the season, and outside of last week’s start against Boston, Andy Pettitte has been terrific in five of his last six outings – none more impressive than his win against Tampa Bay ace Scott Kazmir on Tuesday.

Joba Chamberlain has been solid since coming into the rotation, and even Sidney Ponson has a sub-4.00 ERA after allowing one run in six innings on Wednesday – though I hardly think you can rely on him down the stretch. As for the bullpen, Kyle Farnsworth hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances and Jose Veras has allowed just one earned run in his last 16 outings.

The Yankees may need to find another starter if they’re going to keep their playoff streak alive, but Wednesday’s sweep was a big step in the right direction.