The Yankees are officially in the back stretch of their potentially season-defining 12-game stretch against AL playoff contenders. While the first two series ended in feel-good series victories, the Yankees will need to win the next two games to feel the same about Detroit. After a good start to Tuesday’s series opener, the game completely imploded in the seventh, with Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. combining to allow nine runs without recording an out in a bafflingly bad inning. The good thing
about baseball? You can turn the page immediately, which the Yanks will try to do tonight.
Carlos Rodón will look to continue a remarkably consistent season for the Yankees. Although he’s had a few stinkers, he hasn’t had a prolonged skid to the extent of most starters in the league, including the team’s ace, Max Fried. He enters with a 3.19 ERA (130 ERA+), 3.90 FIP, and 180 strikeouts in 170 innings, the fourth most in the American League. While pitcher wins have lost all importance in player evaluation, Rodón can claim sole possession of first in the majors in wins with his 17th, breaking a tie with Max Fried and Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta.
This is an important matchup for Rodón, as the Tigers have a very platoon-heavy lineup and boast an impressive team slashline of .271/.339/.452 with a 117 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers. Five of the nine batters starting tonight for Detroit have a 145 wRC+ or better against lefties. Rodón struggled on a cold day in Detroit back in April, allowing six runs (five earned) in six innings. Buckle up.
Jack Flaherty gets the ball for the Tigers, making his first start at Yankee Stadium since he got blitzed in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, although he was off the hook for a loss thanks to the worst inning in recent franchise history. After being dealt by the Tigers to the Dodgers at the 2024 trade deadline, Flaherty returned to the Motor City on a two-year, $35 million pact this offseason and has been inconsistent. He enters play with a 4.85 ERA (86 ERA+) and 3.97 FIP across 28 starts and has looked both dominant (seven shutout innings against Houston) and downright bad (eight runs in five innings vs. KC) in recent weeks.
He maintains a high strikeout rate and high whiff and chase rates, but he’s allowing harder contact, too many barrels, and can’t get the ball on the ground. It doesn’t help that he’s lost a half a tick on the heater, which has led to it getting obliterated all season. He makes up for it with his knuckle curve and slider, both being positive pitches this season, but he still throws the four-seamer almost half the time, something that the Yankees, who feast on slower fastballs, will be hunting for.
Trent Grisham will lead off again, followed by Aaron Judge in the DH spot. The Yankees have the exact same top seven in the order as the last two days, with the only difference being Giancarlo Stanton getting the start in right field. Jose Caballero will start for Anthony Volpe at shortstop, with Ryan McMahon batting ninth.
The Tigers go to their lefty-killing lineup, leading off old friend Jahmai Jones with another old friend in Gleyber Torres behind him. Wenceel Pérez bats second, Andy Ibáñez enters the lineup batting sixth, and All-Star Javier Báez bats ninth in the midst of a rough second half. Kerry Carpenter is out of the lineup, but is a lock to pinch-hit late due to his strong platoon splits. Zach McKinstry, who has a nagging back issue, is also on the bench.
How to Watch:
Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV broadcast: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, MLB Network (out-of-market only)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), 97.1 The Ticket (DET)
Online stream: Amazon Prime Video, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
