Yankees are set to kick off a division series against Orioles
Joe Girardi likes to keep things “close to the chest” so he likely won’t announce the official Yankees’ playoff roster until the deadline on Sunday. He has given some clues and we did take some guesses at it back in August. Here’s a review of the potential playoff roster for the Yankees as they set to kick off a division series on the road against the Baltimore Orioles at six PM Eastern time on Sunday.
Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: CC Sabathia vs. Jason Hammel
Game 2: Andy Pettitte vs. Wei-Yin Chen
The only options were going to be Pettitte or Hiroki Kuroda and Girardi has committed to Pettitte. It was questionable a couple of months ago how healthy Pettitte was going to be this time of year, but after two very good starts and one mediocre one, Girardi will trust Pettitte’s pedigree enough to give him a road game. By starting Pettitte in Game Two, it also means Girardi going with an unconventional back-to-back lefty duo.
Game 3: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Miguel Gonzalez
Kuroda has easily been the second best Yankees’ starter this season but it’s tough to overlook Pettitte’s playoff resume. Either way, Girardi has elected to start the most consistent Yankee at home for Game Three in what could easily prove to be critical in a likely 1-1 scenario.
Game 4: Phil Hughes vs. Chris Tillman
Buck Showalter went with an unpopular choice in his one game play-in and threw the soft tossing lefty, Joe Saunders, against a predominantly powerful right-handed lineup. The plan worked like a charm and was complimented with the dominant Orioles’ bullpen collecting nearly half the outs. Now Saunders will not be making a start in the entire series as Showalter seems committed to Tillman for Game Four. Logically, Girardi will counter with Hughes, who has been noticeably more consistent than Ivan Nova, has better stuff than Freddy Garcia and is coming off a strong second half.
Yankees’ Playoff Roster
Relievers:
Boone Logan, Clay Rapada, Dave Robertson, Rafael Soriano, Cody Eppley, Joba Chamberlain, David Phelps
Logan and Rapada are probable lefty selections. From the right side, it will be Robertson setting up and Soriano closing. That leaves three more options. In August, it was predicted to be Nova, David Phelps, Chamberlain and Cody Eppley (with no Rapada) but now it seems more likely Phelps and Chamberlain are definite (and Phelps can be a long reliever if necessary) and either Garcia or Eppley. Logic would seem to indicate Eppley since Phelps can go multiple innings and Eppley can get some big outs against many scary right-handed Orioles’ hitters.
Infield:
Catcher: Russell Martin and Chris Stewart
1B: Mark Teixeira
2B: Robinson Cano
3B: Alex Rodriguez and Eric Chavez
SS: Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez
DH: Raul Ibanez
This has remained exactly the same now that Teixeira is healthy. Nunez can play third and second base, or shortstop in a pinch as well as pinch-run, but more importantly is likely to DH against left-handed starters (this was Andruw Jones‘ job, but his second half will likely leave him off the roster). Chris Stewart is not the same lock he was a couple of months ago since Francisco Cervelli is healthy, can hit a little and has speed (and nobody is catching over Martin anyway), but it’s still safe to assume Girardi will go with the better defensive backup “just in case”.
Outfield:
Left Field: Ichiro Suzuki and Jayson Nix
Centerfield: Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner
Right Field: Nick Swisher
Gardner was not as sure of a thing down the stretch, but he has been cleared for all baseball tasks and will almost certainly be on the team as a result. Suzuki, Granderson and Swisher will make the starting outfield and all offer something slightly different. It’s important to note Nix can play the infield as well and Girardi indicated he has a strong chance to make the team. With Gardner and Nunez off the bench, New York will have plenty of speed for late-inning pinch-running. Ibanez can also play the outfield in an emergency.
