The Yankees’ backs are officially against the wall, needing a win to survive another day in this best-of-three bout with the Red Sox. Since the inception of the Wild Card Series, 10 of the 12 teams to lose
Game 1 have gone on to get swept, and the two that forced a do-or-die Game 3 ended up losing it anyway. If they’re going to buck that trend and make it to the ALDS, the offense is going to have to do a lot more than provide the single run of support they gave Max Fried and company on Tuesday.
Now facing Brayan Bello, Aaron Boone has gone back to the version of his lineup that features the most pound-for-pound damage done all year:
Trent Grisham returns to the leadoff spot with Goldschmidt out of the lineup, having gone 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 1. He’s fared a lot better against right-handed pitchers as opposed to the lefties he saw all night yesterday though, posting an .869 OPS compared to the .652 mark he has against southpaws. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger slot in second and third as they did in Game 1, with Ben Rice making his postseason debut.
Rice was left off of the starting lineup for Game 1 due to platoon matchups, but he’s been one of the team’s best hitters all year long and has similarly favorable numbers against righties with an .860 OPS. On top of that, he’s coming off of a red-hot September where he hit .316 and posted a .932 OPS. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was also left off of the starting lineup yesterday but made a short appearance as a defensive replacement with one at-bat in the ninth, but he’ll see the infield grass immediately today and bat sixth after Giancarlo Stanton. Chisholm features the same boost to his OPS against righties, and 25 of his 31 long balls came against them this year.
Austin Wells remains behind the plate with Rice at first, and Anthony Volpe reprises his role at shortstop after being the lone source of offense in Game 1 with his second-inning solo shot. Despite the downward spiral of a season Volpe’s endured, he managed to continue a positive trend in lighting it up once the postseason rolls around, going 16-for-52 (.308) with two homers, seven RBI and a .900 OPS after the records reset. The final new face in the lineup is Ryan McMahon, who has had a tough time since coming over to New York at the deadline but remains a wizard with the glove and will man the hot corner. McMahon has just four games of postseason experience in his career, all in 2018 with the Rockies where he served as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement. He’s still looking for the first postseason hit of his career, and there would be no better time to get it than here with the Bombers.
With the Yankees rolling out another lefty for Game 2, YES Network’s Jack Curry is reporting that the Red Sox will carry the same lineup as they did in Game 1.
With all that said, the only thing left to do is play the game. The Yankees need to win, or their October ends on the first day of the month. Carlos Rodón will get the ball, and first pitch will be at 6:08 p.m. EST on ESPN. Does the season stay alive? Can the Yankees break from recent history, both personal and across the league? Tune in to find out.
