Yankees’ Wild Card Series Game 1 lineup revealed
With 162 games in the books, the Yankees’ second season begins tonight. The records have been reset to 0-0, and now it all comes down to a best-of-three series with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees must win twice in the next three days, or the quest for title number 28 will be over in a flash.
With hours to go until the action starts, the Yankees have announced the lineup that will take the field against Boston. It’s a righty-heavy lineup, as was anticipated with the Red Sox throwing the left-handed Garrett Crochet in Game 1:
Paul Goldschmidt will hit leadoff, the wily veteran having crushed lefties to the tune of a .336/.411/.570 slash line this year. The Yankees would love for Goldschmidt to find a way to set the table for Aaron Judge, batting second. Judge posted a cartoonish 1.279 OPS versus southpaws this year, and though he struggled a bit with Crochet himself, there’s no doubt Judge can get a hold of one against the Red sox ace:
Cody Bellinger bats third and starts in left, Giancarlo Stanton cleans up and will DH, and Amed Rosario clocks in batting fifth and playing second. Rosario proved to be a solid deadline pickup for New York, posting a .788 OPS in 16 games off the bench, and he’s got a career .800 OPS against lefties, which gives the Yankees enough confidence to pencil him in in the middle of the order.
Trent Grisham starts in center, Anthony Volpe gets the start at short, and Jose Cabellero hits eighth and plays third. Many Yankee fans surely would’ve preferred to see Volpe on the bench and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the lineup, but for today at least, Chisholm sits against a lefty (Chisholm also may still be feeling effects from the hit-by-pitch that forced him out of last Saturday’s game).
Austin Wells rounds out the lineup, Ben Rice taking a seat to start the game. Though Rice, Chisholm, and Ryan McMahon will start on the bench, all are liable to appear later in the game, whether to face a right-handed reliever or as a defensive substitute.
Also, here’s a look at the lineup for the Red Sox tonight:
So there you have it. We have the lineups; now all that’s left is to play ball. Max Fried will toe the slab at 6:08 p.m. EST, with the broadcast on ESPN. Will he deliver the Yankees a huge Game 1 win? We’ll find out soon enough.
Cubs Prepared to be Ultra Aggressive in Wild Card Series
The Chicago Cubs suffered a pretty big blow to their playoff roster this past weekend, when star rookie Cade Horton was placed on the 15-day injured list because of a rib fracture. Veteran Matthew Boyd was named the Game 1 starter against the San Diego Padres and he’s certainly a capable replacement for Craig Counsell. The Cubs released their 26-man roster for the Wild Card series and although the team elected to go with an extra position player, Counsell is well equipped to be ultra aggressive out of the bullpen in the best-of-three series.
Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon will most likely follow Boyd in the series with Taillon starting if a Game 3 is needed. Meanwhile, without Horton available the Cubs have three pitchers who can throw starter innings out of the bullpen in case any of the starters get in early trouble.
Colin Rea and Aaron Civale could potentially play a big role this week against the Padres as long relievers. Rea had an excellent year filling in at the back end of the rotation, finishing the regular season with a 3.95 ERA in 159.1 innings. That included a 2.63 ERA in five September starts. Civale was scooped up from the White Sox late in the year and he was impressive in five appearances, posting a 2.08 ERA and 0.54 WHIP in 13 innings, striking out 14 and walking none.
There’s also Michael Soroka, who made 17 starts this year before a shoulder injury sidelined him for six weeks. He may not be as stretched out as Rea or Civale, but Soroka could probably come in and pitch a couple innings if needed.
So, don’t be surprised if Counsell has a quick hook with his starters.
No real big surprises on the 26-man roster. Great to see rookie Moises Ballesteros earn a spot with a great showing in September. Meanwhile, another rookie in Kevin Alcántara was added as an extra position player.
