N.Y. Yankess: The Price is Right

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Series tied 1-1

I - BOS 5; NYY 4

II - NYY 6; BOS 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

GAME TWO

YANKEES  6

RED SOX   2

FINAL

New York Yankees: Look what the Bronx Bombers did to David Price, again!

Beware!  Aaron Judge is slipping.  

Judge homered in last Wednesday's Wild Card game against Oakland on only Liam Hendriks' ninth pitch of the game.  On Friday, Judge homered again, but not till the ninth inning on Craig Kimbrel's ninth offering upon entering Game One of the ALDS at Fenway Park.  In Game Two, however, Aaron Judge didn't homer until David Price's tenth offering of the game.  

All kidding aside, Aaron went 5 for 9 through two ALDS games at Fenway Park with two home runs, two RBI, two runs scored, a walk, and just as importantly, only one strikeout.  Now the Yankees return to Judge's Bronx County court where he undoubtedly plays his best ball.  With an equal 56 games played at home and on the road, he struck out 87 times on the road but only 65 times at home.  When wielding his bat in the confines of Yankee Stadium, Aaron slashes .352/.471/.699/1.170, with 18 of 27 home runs and 45 of 67 regular season RBI.

And don't look now, but here comes Gary Sanchez.  In Game Two, he and Aaron Judges join to hit somewhere in the neighborhood of 12,000 feet worth of home runs.  Judge's first inning tater was measured at 445 feet.  Gary Sanchez homer in the third clanged off the light fixtures above the Green Monster, while his second home run of the game sailed up and over Fenway's walls, and onto on Landsdowne Street some 479 feet away.

This game actually marks the first time David Price faces the Yankees in a post-season game.  After Saturday's failed effort, Price is now 2-9 in 18 playoff appearances (ten starts) with a 5.28 ERA, according to Baseball Reference.  Price previously faces the Yankees four times during the regular season, and is downright terrible.  He makes starts in April, July, August, and September in which he totals 15.2 innings pitched for an average of just 3.2 innings per start.  He faces 79 total batters, allowing 16 earned runs on 21 hits (including nine home runs) for a 9.47 ERA, with seven walks and just 12 strikeouts.

I don't know how to say "clutch" in Japanese, but as a Yankee Masahiro Tanaka has been just that.  He surrenders just a run on three hits and a walk, with four strikeouts in earning Saturday's victory over the Red Sox.  In five career post-season starts for the Yankees, Tanaka is now 3-2 with a minuscule 1.50 ERA through 30 innings pitched, while surrendering just 17 hits for a 5.1 H/9 average, and seven walks for a 1.8 W/9 average, resulting in a stellar 0.800 WHiP.

The Yankees bullpen accounts for another four innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits (off Dellin Betances), with two walks and two strikeouts.  Through two games, they've allowed just one run through 10 innings for a 0.90 ERA, on just six hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox bullpen is enduring a heavy tax.  In Game two, they call upon five more relievers whom render 7.1 innings pitched, allowing three runs on five hits and five walks, with seven strikeouts.  Through two games, they've allowed five earned runs through 9.1 innings pitched for a 4.94 ERA, on 10 hits, eight walks, with nine strikeouts.  

Boston pitchers throw 165 pitches in Game Two, and have thrown 347 overall.  The Yankees throw 133 pitches in Game Two, and just 260 overall.  That's been paying small dividends, to date.  With more pitches to chose from, they've out-hit the Red Sox through two games by an 18-13 margin, and own the edge in home runs, four against two.  The Yankees limited their strikeouts to just seven in Game Two, and there's no coincidence they win.  After striking out 13 times in Game One, they lose by one.