The Yankees may already have their answer for a possible winner-take-all Game 3 in the Wild Card round: Carlos Rodón.
New York beat the Rays 2-0 on Tuesday behind eight shutout innings from Rodón, who improved to 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA. And after that outing, manager Aaron Boone suggested it could wind up being Rodón’s final regular season start.
That was “potentially” Carlos Rodón’s last start of the regular season, Boone said. He won’t start Sunday’s game.
The timing matters because the Yankees are headed toward a likely Wild Card matchup with the Red Sox. New York is 90-66 and has already secured a postseason berth, but it sits five games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East with six to play, making the division title a long shot.
There is still a path, but it’s a steep one. The Yankees would need to sweep their four-game set against the Rays, then hope Tampa Bay stumbles in its final series at the Philadelphia Phillies, while New York also sweeps the Baltimore Orioles at home. If the Rays win even one game in the Bronx, they lock up the division and the American League’s No. 1 seed.
If the standings hold, the Yankees would host a best-of-three against Boston. The first two games should go to right-hander Cam Schlittler, the AL Cy Young favorite, and lefty Max Fried. That leaves one last start to sort out.
Gerrit Cole is the obvious alternative. He’s 9-9 with a 3.63 ERA and has been mostly solid since returning from Tommy John surgery in late May. But Rodón has been the hotter arm lately, and that’s the case New York appears ready to lean on.
Boone’s comment about Rodón being “potentially” done for the regular season likely pointed to the left-hander being held back for Sunday’s game against Baltimore, if the Yankees were still alive in the division race. But with that outcome looking increasingly unlikely, the door seems open for Rodón to take the ball in a do-or-die Game 3 against the Red Sox.
Cole has famously struggled against Boston in his Yankee career. Rodón, meanwhile, has been rolling. For now, the Yankees’ clearest answer might be the one already dealing.
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