We won a game yesterday. We win one today; that’s two in a row. We win one tomorrow; that’s called a winning streak. It has happened before.
It’s been two weeks since the Yankees won back-to-back games, but they’ll have the opportunity to do so tonight after an inspiring effort in the first game of this critical four-game set at what is perennially a House of Horrors for them at Tropicana Field last night. When you came into this series, you feared the worst, but winning yesterday is sure to give
them a confidence boost after the misery they’ve experienced of late.
Will Warren will get the start, looking to follow up Cam Schlittler’s brilliance last night. His performance has faded after a strong start to the season, but he still has a solid 3.73 ERA (113 ERA+) and 3.57 FIP through 17 starts and 89.1 innings as a rock in the Yankees’ rotation. With most pitchers around him missing time, having a guy who’s made all 50 available starts since last March—one of just 10 MLB pitchers to do so—is valuable. In his career against the Rays, Warren has had three starts with mixed results, allowing five runs in 11.2 innings. He’s never pitched at the Trop.
Ian Seymour will go for Tampa, making just his fifth start. He’s served as a bulk reliever for much of the year in the opener strategy, but Kevin Cash is deciding to send him out there to start this one. In 31 games, he has a 4.02 ERA (107 ERA+) and 4.11 FIP in 56 innings with 60 strikeouts. Despite the profile, he’s stretched out, having thrown six innings in consecutive outings. He’s never started against the Yanks, but has thrown 8.1 innings across five relief outings against them.
The lefty is a soft-tosser who relies on a seven-pitch mix to keep you off balance. He’s been very successful in preventing hard contact and gets a lot of whiffs with his off-speed and breaking balls, but he’s more of a fly-ball pitcher, which can give him some trouble. Seymour’s changeup and sweeper plays against both sides, but he mixes up his four-seamer and sinker by handedness while mixing in a slider, cutter, and curveball. He’s been prone to leaving his sweeper and sinker in vulnerable spots over the heart of the plate, so the Yankees need to be aggressive.
Trent Grisham leads off against the lefty, followed by lefty-killer Paul Goldschmidt and All-Star Ben Rice. Amed Rosario cleans up at third base (gulp), followed by Cody Bellinger, José Caballero at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Max Schuemann in right field, and Ali Sanchez behind the dish.
Yandy Díaz will lead off and DH for the Rays, followed by Jonathan Aranda and All-Star starter Junior Caminero. Cedric Mullins cleans up, the speedy Chandler Simpson bats fifth, and rookie Victor Mesa Jr. joins the lineup at sixth in right field. The bottom third will be Taylor Walls, Richie Palacios, and Hunter Feduccia.
How to watch
Location: Tropicana Field — St. Petersburg, FL
First pitch: 6:40 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Rays.TV, TBS
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM (TB)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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