N.Y. Yankees: Game Two Loss Features Many Questions and Loads of Strikeouts

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Yankees and Rays tied; 1-1

I - NYY 9; TBR 3

II - TBR 7; NYY 5

THE CASHMAN REPORT: FRONT OFFICE FOLLY OR FIELD MANAGER F*@K UP

Aaron Boone tries taking a page out of the Rays playbook.  Three times during their regular season meetings Tampa bullpens the game with regular starter Charlie Morton serving as opener and three times Tampa Bay comes away with victories.

With a win in Game One, Aaron Boone withholds Masahiro Tanaka for Game Three, electing instead to start rookie Deivi Garcia in Game Two.  It appears he is tasked with pitching the first inning.  Or was Boone expecting him to go longer?  Garcia faces six batters, surrenders a two out home run and hits a batter.  Boone then hands off to J.A. Happ.  The Rays jump him for four runs on five hits and three walks in 2.2 innings pitched.  At this point Boone is surely expecting a little more length from Happ, who yields home runs to Manuel Margot and Mike Zunino.  Relievers Adam Ottavino and Jonathan Loaisiga each surrender a run as well.  Jonathan Holder and Nick Nelson each throw a scoreless inning.

Tyler Glasnow makes his fourth start this season against the Yankees.  He allows four runs through 5.0 innings on three hits and three walks with ten strikeouts.  All told, he has allowed ten runs (4.71 ERA) on 13 hits and ten walks with 32 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched against the Bombers.  

Tampa then puts a precarious three run lead in the hands of their bullpen.  Diego Castillo and Nick Anderson join for three scoreless innings.  

In the ninth inning Tampa's 7-4 lead is placed in the trust of Peter Fairbanks.  After walking the first two batters, Fairbanks fans Clint Frazier for the first out.  Pinch hitting, Gary Sanchez strikes out swinging.  With two outs D.J. LeMahieu singles back through the middle scoring Gio Urshela.  With runners on the corners Aaron Judge grounds out third to first and the Rays win.

The Rays win...! 

Did Aaron Boone blow Game Two or did Brian Cashman's Bureau of Internal Calculations mastermind this?  As previously noted, the Rays implemented this very plan with success.  The Yankees, not so much.  Someone perhaps over thought this?  

But what of the ineffectiveness of Happ, Ottavino and Loaisiga?

Boone who says he can bring back Deivi Garcia on short rest now hands off to Masahiro Tanaka in a pivotal Game Three.  In his only start of the post-season so far, Tanaka was routed by the Indians, allowing six earned runs on five hits and three walks in only four innings pitched.  He made three regular season starts against the Rays, allowing seven runs (4.20 ERA) on twelve hits and just one walk with 14 strikeouts over 15.0 innings.  In ten regular season starts he posted a 3.56 ERA and a 1.17 WHiP over 48 innings pitched.

THE SULTANS OF SO WHAT!!

The Yankees strikeout 18 times and generate just five hits.  Two of those hits were home runs by Giancarlo Stanton.  Through four playoff games Stanton is now 5 for 15 (.333) with eleven runs batted in.  All five of his hits have been home runs.  He easily leads the team in both categories.  Aaron Judge is now 2 for 19 (.105) with three runs batted in.  Like Stanton, his only two hits have gone for home runs.  Stanton and Judge together are 7 for 34 (.205) with seven home runs, 14 runs batted in and 13 strikeouts.

Tampa Bay answers four home runs in Game One by the Yankees with five home runs of their own in Game Two ... which brings us back to Aaron Boone and his loss for words after Tuesday night's game.

N.Y. Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton TKO's Rays in Game One

From the desk of: BLAME CARLOS MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES

Yankees lead Rays; 1-0

I - NYY 9; TBR 3

Bronx Bombers Pick Up Where They Leave Off

Seven times during the regular season the Rays hit multiple home runs against the Yankees.  They do it again in Game One.  After taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Aaron Hicks' sac-fly, left fielder Randy Arozarena homers off Gerrit Cole tying the score at one.  Clint Frazier gives the Yanks a 2-1 lead with a home run in the third.  One inning later Ji-Man Choi gives the Rays a 3-2 lead with a two run home run to center.  But that's where the Rays power surge stops and that of the Yankees begins.  Kyle Higashioka and Aaron Judge each hit a solo home run in the fifth.  Aaron Hicks drives home two more runs in the ninth with a single and Giancarlo Stanton caps off the Yankees scoring with a grand slam against reliever Chad Curtiss.  Overall, the lineup cranks out 15 hits in 39 at-bats (.384) and the bullpen tosses three scoreless innings.  Although still prone to the long ball, Gerrit Cole yields three runs on six hits and two walks with eight strikeouts through six innings for the win.

In four starts against the Rays Cole has yielded twelve runs on 18 hits and eight walks with 35 strikeouts through 22.1 innings pitched for a 4.88 earned run average. 

The Yankees now have 38 hits through three playoff games.  Eleven have gone for home runs.  Giancarlo Stanton now leads the pack with three and Aaron Judge has two.  However, Stanton and Judge have no other hits, just five home runs.  Just five home runs, imagine that.  Stanton's grand slam is the Yankees second of the playoffs.  Luke Voit has yet to go long in three playoff games, but leads the team with three doubles.

With a game one victory Aaron Boone is afforded an opportunity to start rookie Deivi Garcia who has just six games of MLB experience.  This sets up Masahiro Tanaka to either clinch the series or steer the Yankees clear of a two game skid.  Garcia last started on 9/26 against the Marlins in which he surrenders four runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts.  In six starts Garcia has allowed 19 runs (4.98 ERA) on 35 hits and six walks with 33 strikeouts.