After taking three out of four from the last-place Orioles, the Yankees’ favorable stretch of schedule continues with a three-game home set against the last-place White Sox. Entering play tonight, the Bombers
sit just two games back of the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East (and, with it, a near-certain first round bye). While Toronto faces the Red Sox, who are fighting for their own playoff berth, the Yankees will square up against a Chicago squad that’s lost seven of their last eight games and is three defeats away from their third straight 100-loss season. Let’s take a look at the likely pitching matchups for this mid-week series.
Tuesday: Luis Gil vs. Shane Smith (7:05 pm ET)
After missing the first four-plus months of the season recovering from a lat strain, Luis Gil has quickly reasserted himself as the Yankees’ number-three starter. Through nine starts, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year is 4-1 with a 3.33 ERA. He allowed more than two runs for the first time since his season debut last time out, permitting five (four earned) on nine hits across 4.2 innings against the Twins. He’ll look to affirm his positioning in the Yankees’ playoff rotation tonight in what could be his final start of the season.
The White Sox’s lone All-Star selection this season, Shane Smith has been one of the few bright spots in a lost year on the South Side. The true rookie, who went undrafted out of Wake Forest, has a respectable 4.06 ERA and 104 ERA+ on the season. His last time out, Smith allowed a season-high six earned runs on nine hits across 4.1 innings against the Orioles. The 25-year-old features a four-seamer that sits in the mid-90s and against which opponents are slugging just .325 this season alongside several complementary pitches.
Wednesday: Max Fried vs. TBD (7:05 pm ET)
Entering his final start of the season, Max Fried is sitting on 18 wins and a 2.92 ERA. A victory would give him the first 19-win season by a Yankee since Luis Severino accomplished the feat in 2018. After a mid-season rough patch, the southpaw has gone 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA over his last six starts. That includes one of his best starts of the season last time out, holding the Orioles off the board through seven innings in an eventual shutout victory.
After exiting his start last Wednesday due to soreness in his pitching shoulder, Martín Pérez’s season is likely over. The White Sox have yet to announce a replacement for Wednesday’s game. Options include Owen White and Jonathan Cannon, both starters who’ve spent time with Chicago this season who are still on the 40-man roster down at Triple-A Charlotte, and a bullpen game (or some combination of the two).
Thursday: Will Warren vs. Davis Martin (7:05 pm ET)
For their part, the Yankees are yet to make official the starter for Thursday’s game, though Will Warren is lined up to take the pill. It’s been a solid if unspectacular rookie campaign for Warren, who’s stuck in the rotation all season while pitching to a 4.35 ERA and 94 ERA+. The 26-year-old leads all rookies in strikeouts by a healthy margin; his 164 punchouts are 26 ahead of Jack Leiter, who’s recorded the second-most. His most recent outing last Friday in Baltimore was marred by a sloppy sixth inning which began with an error by Warren and ended with the Yankees down 3-0, though only one of the runs was charged to the right-hander.
Davis Martin has had an encouraging season, recording a 4.03 ERA and 104 ERA+ through 138.1 innings. His peripherals — including a 5.31 expected ERA — suggest he’s overperformed, largely due to his substandard 17.1 strikeout rate. The 28-year-old has found success with his four-seamer and changeup this season but struggled with his other pitches, including a slider that he threw nearly as much as his fastball last year but which he’s thrown just 100 times this year while opponents have hit .444 against it.
