Earlier this afternoon, we saw the blueprint for what an Aaron Judge-less postseason run will have to look like: Incredible performance from the starter, good defense, and just enough hitting to get by. The Yankees will look to repeat that in the nightcap of today’s doubleheader, with a crackling starting pitcher matchup.
Max Fried toes the slab in the Bronx, having an excellent season albeit one twice interrupted by injury. He’s rounding out the regular season with one of my favorite statistical
quirks, an identical 2.63 ERA and FIP. Had he avoided the IL with a year like this, the Yankees would have two of the likely top three finishers in Cy Young voting, but all we can ask of Max tonight is that he delays the Rays’ champagne celebration at least one more day.
Opposing him is a starter who will get his share of Cy Young votes, although he won’t sniff the award itself. Across 29 starts Drew Rasmussen has posted a four-and-a-half win year by fWAR, and a stellar 4.5-percent walk rate. If you wanna get on against Drew, you have to hit your way aboard, and even then he runs a 44-percent groundball rate. The Yankees are going to have to rely on one big swing a game for a little while, and that’s going to have to be the way they beat Rasmussen.
The Yankees’ lineup features a familiar presence returning from the IL, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. is back from his brief absence and will man the keystone. Max Schuemann was demoted to make room for Jazz on the active roster. If the man has a hot stretch ready for the end of his bumpy walk year, now would be the time to kick it off.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Rays.TV, TBS (out-of-market only)
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | WDAE 95.7 FM, WQBN/1300AM (TB)
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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