Aaron Boone is already mapping out the Yankees’ next move, even with their season hanging by a thread.
The Yankees manager said Tuesday that Carlos Rodón would start Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, if New York gets that far. That plan is on the board even as the Yankees head into a do-or-die Game 3 on Wednesday in New York.
Boone had already lined up Max Fried for Game 3, putting the left-hander in the spot where he’ll need to help keep New York alive after the club dropped the first two games of the series. The Yankees are in a deep hole, and Wednesday has become a must-win game.
Game 2 was especially rough. Tampa Bay beat New York 5-2 on Monday, and the Yankees made life harder on themselves with four errors and just three hits. It was the kind of night where almost nothing went right.
Boone didn’t hide from that reality, calling it “a really tough night to say the least for us.” He also made clear the Yankees can’t linger on it.
“We’ve really got to get over it,” Boone said.
That message carries extra weight with New York staring at another early exit. The Yankees were eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays in last year’s ALDS, and now they’re once again trying to avoid a quick postseason departure, this time against the Rays.
For now, Boone’s Rodón announcement is about planning ahead. But everything still depends on Wednesday. Fried has to help the Yankees win Game 3 first, or Game 4 and Rodón won’t matter at all.
In Other News...
Rays Now Face Another Pitching Decision With Aaron Brooks
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For the Rays, the move leaves yet another decision to make on a depth arm who never really got a chance to establish himself. Brooks was one of five players, along with Bailey Falter, Seth Martinez, Aramis Garcia and Owen Miller, to file for minor league free agency, and his path now depends on whether Tampa Bay wants to bring him back into the fold or let him move on elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Put Their ALDS Control In Nick Martinezs Biggest Test Yet
Nick Martinez is set to take the ball for the Rays in Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Yankees, a move that says plenty about how Tampa Bay has viewed his season. Kevin Cash went with Martinez based on the body of work he put together, and now the right-hander gets the kind of October assignment every pitcher wants and every staff leans on when the series starts to tighten.
Across the diamond, the Yankees are expected to counter with Max Fried, even with the left-hander acknowledging he may be waiting on a family development that could arrive any day. For Tampa Bay, the matchup turns into a test of poise as much as stuff, with Martinez asked to help the Rays keep control of a series that is becoming more serious by the hour. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Are Winning This Series With A Pitching Formula Yankees Havent Solved
Through the first two games of the ALDS, the Rays have leaned hard on a pitching plan that has kept the Yankees from ever really settling in. Instead of chasing innings with a parade of relievers, Tampa Bay has asked three of its starters to handle most of the outs, a structure that has let Kevin Cash manage the game with a little more breathing room and a lot less stress on the bullpen.
Freddy Peralta has been a big part of that foundation, giving the staff another arm that has looked sharper since arriving from the Mets and showing the kind of increased velocity that helped him earn AL Pitcher of the Month honors for September. The result has been a staff effort that players and Cash have both praised, even as the bigger question remains whether New York can finally find an answer for a formula that has worked so well so far. [Read more 🡒]