Oct 7, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of the ALDS logo on the field in game three of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series between New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Probably safe to say that both results in the National League Division Series went in the way most readers of the SnakePit wanted, with the Padres and Dodgers both losing. The NL gets a travel day today, as the series relocate to San Diego and Atlanta respectively, before resuming on Wednesday. So, today, it’s the American League’s time to shine, with the Rays and White Sox both seeking to build on their victories in Game #1. The latter was probably more of a shock, but Chicago appear so far to be taking inspiration from the 2023 D-backs. They are currently 3-0 in the post-season, all their games on the road and against teams with more wins in the regular season. Maybe it’s a papal thing?
Here are the games on order today
Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians 2:00 pm (1-0), TBS
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Rays 5:00 pm (0-1), TBS
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: Bryan Baker #47 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after the Rays defeated the New York Yankees in Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Yesterday’s action in the NL saw the Braves pull even with the reigning champion Dodgers and the Brewers take a comanding 2-0 lead over Manny Machado and the and Padres. Today, we shift back to the AL, with the White Sox and Rays looking to extend their series leads.
From a former Orioles perspective, neither the White Sox nor Guardians have any former O’s in the lineup. Cleveland was the organization that gave us current manager Craig Albernaz, so let that sway your rooting as it may. In the nightcap, the Rays are a pretty easy root for against the Yankees. As is well documented, Tampa is littered with former O’s like Cedric Mullins, Jorge Mateo, Brian Baker and Tyler Wells—though neither of the position players get the start tonight.
Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians, Game 2, 5pm ET
Probable pitchers: LHP Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA)
Where to watch: TBS/HBO Max
The White Sox won Game 1 behind a two-run, left-on-left home run from Munetaka Murakami against Guardians All-Star Parker Messick. Perhaps the win will give Chicago confidence to complete the upset. Perhaps its a sign that the regular season is repeating itself, as the White Sox went 1-2 in Cleveland during both road trips to Progressive Field this year.
The Guardians’ 26-year-old right-hander Gavin Williams will look to lead Cleveland to a tied series between the AL Central rivals. Williams made four starts against the White Sox this year, posting a 3.98 ERA across 20.1 IP while striking out 28—though the Guardians only went 1-3 in those games. Opposing Williams is 31-year-old lefty Anthony Kay. In his first season back in the big leagues after spending two years in Japan, Kay only faced the Guardians once, posting a line of 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 4 Ks in a 9-5 White Sox win.
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, Game 2, 8pm ET
After almost being not hit by Drew Rasmussen in Game 1, the Yankees will turn to presumptive AL Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler to try to keep their season alive. Schlittler faced the Rays twice in Tropicana Field this season; the first time he delivered one of his “poorer” starts of the season, allowing 3 runs over 5 innings while punching out 8 in a 5-4 Rays win. The next time, at the beginning of July, Schlittler was his usually dominant self—tossing 8 innings of one-run ball with another 8 Ks in a 5-1 Yankees win.
The future Cy Young winner will be opposed by trade deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta. After struggling to a 4.99 ERA across 22 starts with the Mets, Peralta has looked like a different pitcher since heading south to Tampa. In 10 starts for the Rays, the 2x All-Star has a 3.25 ERA with 43 Ks in 55.1 innings. He was even better across the month of September, pitching to a 0.96 ERA over 28 innings last month. Peralta faced the Yankees only once this season, posting a line of 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 6 BB and 4 Ks back in May with the Mets. The longtime former Brewer has a 1.69 ERA and .116 average against in the Trop this year.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves talks to players on the mound during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are now in Atlanta in what his whittled to a best-of-3 National League Division Series, with the Braves suddenly in the driver’s seat as the home team on Tuesday and Wednesday.
That’s a winnable game, but the offense wasn’t up to the task, facing a slew of Atlanta relievers with standout performances over the two days.
Prior to Game 1, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked how the Dodgers could capitalize on facing a slew of Braves relievers instead of starting pitchers.
“The advantage for us is we have an opportunity to not let their pitching staff come up for air, and how do you do that? You have to exhaust the starter. You have to get in their pen, and you have to have them deploy arms as soon as possible and get that carousel going and continue to beat starters. Then you can suffocate them,” Roberts said Friday. “We have an opportunity to really expose them if we take the right at-bats and the right approach.”
Atlanta used bullpen games in each of the first two games but the Dodgers haven’t faced any of the 10 Braves pitchers in more than one appearance yet, so the exposure hasn’t yet materialized. But they did get shut down by three different Braves pitchers over extended stretches on Saturday and Sunday.
Let-hander Dylan Dodd pitched three scoreless innings to start Game 1, and struck out four of his 11 batters faced. Dodd totaled 49 2/3 innings in his 48 appearances this season, and the three innings matched his career high, also done on April 12 and May 23.
Ray Kerr, another left-hander, has impressed mightily since returning to the Braves in August, after missing over two years following Tommy John surgery. Kerr got 10 outs to start Atlanta’s wild card closeout win over the Phillies on Thursday, then followed up with 2 2/3 innings to start Game 2 against the Dodgers. Kerr left with two runners on base in the third inning, but Will Smith followed with a first-pitch groundout against Grant Holmes to end the inning, part of the Dodgers’ 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position.
None of those runners in scoring position came against Didier Fuentes, who retired 11 Dodgers in a row before Max Muncy homered against him with two outs in the ninth inning, pulling the Dodgers to within a run. They did not bring across the equalizer.
The only exposure the Dodgers got were within the same game of these bulk outings, as Dodd and Kerr each faced 11 batters and Fuentes faced 12. In the seven combined plate appearances the second time seeing these pitchers, the Dodgers got two hits (Mookie Betts single off Dodd in Game 1, Muncy home run) and a walk (Betts in Game 2 against Kerr).
Boogeyman
The specter of Chris Sale loomed over this series from the start, even though he hasn’t yet thrown a pitch. The Braves 37-year-old ace pitched into the seventh inning in Game 1 of the Braves’ wild card series on Tuesday — and was on the hook for a loss before Austin Riley rescued Atlanta with a three-run homer — and then got four outs on Thursday in Game 3 to close out the Phillies.
Sale starting in Game 2 against the Dodgers was a possibility, however remote, because the left-hander going in Game 2 could also conceivably start again in Game 5 on four days rest. A Game 2 start would have also been on four days rest, in a loose definition considering he got four outs on a “throw day” on Thursday in between. Sale hasn’t pitched on four days rest since April.
“I know him at 80 percent is really good, but that’s what it came down to,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Sunday afternoon. “We’ve given him extra rest all year, and it’s served him very well. It allowed him to do what he did the other night, I think all the extra rest he’d gotten.”
Sale started on five days rest 13 times this season, and with six or more days rest 12 more times. In those 25 starts, the left-hander had a paltry 1.89 ERA and 31.3-percent strikeout rate. The Dodgers are well aware of Sale’s prowess, having faced him twice this season.
Los Angeles actually beat Sale on May 8 at Dodger Stadium, with run-scoring hits by three different left-handed batters, which felt like cashing in a winning lottery ticket. Freddie Freeman, who homered off Sale that night, captured the conundrum that comes with facing the 6’6 lefty.
“I would have taken a broken-bat bloop against Chris,” Freeman said. “He’s one of the toughest left-handed pitchers you can face. He’s coming from behind you.”
That was the Dodgers’ only regular season win against the Braves, with Atlanta winning each of the next five matchups, including three one-run wins in Atlanta three and a half months later. On August 27, Sale turned back to the clock to hit triple digits on the radar gun while shutting out the Dodgers with 11 strikeouts for his first complete game in seven years.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was on the tough-luck end of that Sale shutout, having only allowed a solo home run to Drake Baldwin to open the game, but otherwise kept the Braves off the board into the seventh inning. That same pitching matchup returns in the pivotal Game 3 at Truist Park on Tuesday night.
The Braves entered the postseason in the position some semi-recent Dodgers teams have endured, simply running out of healthy and effective starting pitchers by the end of September, and into October. Right now, Atlanta essentially has two starting pitchers in Sale and Tyler Mahle, the latter an acquisition from the San Francisco Giants at the trade deadline.
Mahle while with the Giants pitched seven scoreless innings in a win over the Dodgers in San Francisco on April 22. Since joining the Braves, the right-hander allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his 10 starts, with a minuscule 1.91 ERA with 54 strikeouts against only 10 walks. That includes seven innings with just one run allowed last Wednesday in Game 2 of the wild card round against the Phillies.
After Saturday’s Game 1 loss in the NLDS, it sounded at the time like Weiss was trying to talk himself into the Braves having enough depth to survive the series.
“Look, you’ve got Sale and Mahle still, a much more rested bullpen,” Weiss said Saturday night. “I don’t have any worries about that, about having enough pitching. We’ve got plenty of pitching.”
Now in a tied series and his two actual starting pitchers rested and ready to go, Weiss is looking more and more correct. The Dodgers have their work cut out for them in Atlanta.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 03: Drew Rasmussen #57 of the Tampa Bay Rays delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning in game one of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 03, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have just two games today.
White Sox @ Guardians 5:00 Eastern: White Sox are up 1-0.
Lineups:
Today’s Lineups
WHITE SOX
GUARDIANS
Sam Antonacci – LF
Steven Kwan – CF
Kyle Teel – C
Jose Ramirez – 3B
Miguel Vargas – 3B
Chase DeLauter – RF
Munetaka Murakami – 1B
Jo Adell – DH
Andrew Benintendi – DH
Nathaniel Lowe – 1B
Tristan Peters – CF
Angel Martinez – LF
Braden Montgomery – RF
Travis Bazzana – 2B
Chase Meidroth – 2B
Patrick Bailey – C
Colson Montgomery – SS
Brayan Rocchio – SS
Sean Burke – RHP
Gavin Williams – RHP
Yankees @ Rays: 8:00 Eastern. The Rays are up 1-0.
Cam Schlittle 14-6, 1.95 ERA vs, Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42).
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 03: A general view during the national anthem prior to Game One of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Ali Overstreet/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today, we switch to the American League Division Series. Two games:
After an odd little off day Sunday (largely because of NFL games that MLB didn’t want to compete with on TV), the American League Division Series resume today.
4 p.m. CT: White Sox at Guardians (White Sox lead series 1-0)
TV: TBS, truTV, HBO Max (streaming). Announcers: Alex Faust, Ron Darling and Lauren Jbara.
Anthony Kay, LHP vs. Gavin Williams, RHP
Kay pitched 1.1 innings on Saturday and threw 22 pitches so he’s likely an opener here.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 01: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh inning in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on October 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The author of some of baseball’s most beautiful swings has not gone unnoticed for his 2026 campaign: Matt Olson has been named a finalist for the 2026 Hank Aaron Award. Established in 1999, this honor recognizes the most outstanding regular season offensive performer in each league.
Congratulations to Matt Olson for being our 2026 Hank Aaron Award Finalist!
Matt slashed .251/.321/.507 with his second straight 40-homer season, 93 RBI and an .823 OPS. He is in a tie for sixth in MLB in homers with 41, just four shy of the pair leading the league (fellow NL finalists Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Schwarber with 45). He was last nominated in 2023, where he lost to fellow teammate and unanimous MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.
Winners are determined by a fan vote and panel of Hall of Famers and announced on Wednesday, November 11 at the MLB Awards – you can see the full list of nominees and vote for Olson here. Congrats, Matt! Hoping for more of this Matty O to resurface in the postseason as the NLDS continues at Truist Park tomorrow night.
LOS ANGELES — Atlanta ace Chris Sale not only told his bosses he was available, but that he felt strong.
He volunteered to pitch in Game 1 of the National League division series on short rest Saturday against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I really felt confident in myself in starting Game 2," Sale said. "I felt confident in my ability to go out there and be able to perform at a high level. I reiterated that plenty of times to them."
Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta's president of baseball operations, and Atlanta manager Walt Weiss listened to him after their Game 1 loss, knew that he was willing to do whatever they wanted, but sorry, it made no sense to take that kind of gamble. Sale had pitched on four days' rest only twice the entire season.
"If you have Sale in Game 2 and Game 5, as people were screaming about," Weiss said, "we saw it as you're getting a diminished Chris Sale twice at that point. We wanted to get a full-strength Chris Sale, and that's Game 3. Then, possibly impacting the game in Game 5 like we saw in the Phillies series.
"That's what it came down to. We didn't want to have a somewhat diminished Chris Sale twice because it would have been regular rest, but he had the (relief) outing in between, and it just didn't make sense to us."
Now, they have a fully-rested Sale, the former Cy Young winner and still one of the finest lefties in the game, starting for the first time in a week Tuesday in Game 3 against the Dodgers and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Truist Park (6 p.m. ET on FS1).
"As we sit here today, it's the best-case scenario that we could possibly have," Weiss said. "Now we win the bullpen game, and now we have a fresh Chris Sale ready to go."
And now they silence all of the keyboard warriors and critics, who somehow believe they know Atlanta better than the folks who make a living running the team, and know their players better than anyone.
"Look, I know it's professional sports, man, and in professional sports, you're only a success really in the moment that you're having success," Weiss said. "That's it. Then you have to do it all over again.
"That's why you've got to be mentally tough, man, if you want to sit in my seat, Alex's seat, because it can get pretty vicious out there."
Certainly, no one is putting champagne on ice, or even hinting that they might now have an advantage over the powerful Dodgers, but Weiss and company know that a fresh Chris Sale is a dangerous one. He pitched an old-fashioned shutout against the Dodgers the last time he faced them in August. Sale has a 2.13 ERA this season when having six days of rest.
And if there’s a Game 5, guess who’s ready to come out of the bullpen? Yep, just like 2018 when Sale came in relief and closed out the World Series title for the Boston Red Sox.
"I think it just reiterates the all-hands-on-deck mentality," Sale said. "It's really where I learned it. I've never been in the postseason before I got to Boston. When you get there, and you're around winners and that mentality and that kind of culture, you see what winning at all costs looks like.
"I even got a text from (former Red Sox manager Alex Cora) that night of Game 3 of the wild-card game, and even just getting a text from him was awesome because he was someone I learned a lot from as a manager. Talk about a winning mentality and all hands on deck and just the love for your teammates, the willingness to sacrifice yourself to do whatever it is for the team.
"The conversation just always kind of comes back to the feeling we have with this team is a very similar feeling I have to that '18 Red Sox team."
Who knows, with a rested Sale, a rested Tyler Mahle, who has a 1.99 ERA since being acquired at the trade deadline, and a lights-out bullpen, no wonder why Atlanta now believes they might have something special going on, and could shock the baseball world.
"We have a lot of work to do," Sale said. "It's not over yet. You can't start getting ahead of yourself, but we're confident in who we have in our clubhouse, and we're confident moving forward."
Oct 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox fans display a sign after the game against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yesterday, the National League (NL) commanded the spotlight, as the four remaining American League (AL) teams received the day off. The Milwaukee Brewers engineered a dramatic walk-off rally against San Diego Padres elite closer Mason Miller to move one win away from the NL Championship Series. In the second game of the day, the Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 to even the best-of-five series.
Today, attention shifts to the AL Division Series, with two high-stakes Game 2s on the schedule.
Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians (5:00 PM EDT)
The upstart White Sox continued their hot start to the postseason by shutting out the rusty Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 1 of this intradivisional matchup. With the series shifting to Chicago for the next two games, another win this afternoon would give the White Sox an opportunity to sweep their division rivals in their first home playoff game since 2021. As a result, the Guardians must find a way to win this contest to avoid facing elimination on the road.
Left-hander Anthony Kay will open the game for the White Sox. He will likely pitch the first couple of innings before giving way to fellow season-long rotation mate right-hander Sean Burke, who will serve as the bulk relief pitcher.
Aaron Judge’s absence limits the potency of the Yankees’ offense. Rays ace Drew Rasmussen and closer Bryan Baker combined for a one-hit shutout in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 series-opening victory. Now, New York will look to bounce back and even the series before it shifts to the Bronx.
AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler will look to win his first two playoff starts of 2026. The Yankees right-hander earned the win in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox after striking out ten over 6 1/3 innings.
The Rays will counter with right-hander Freddy Peralta, who went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after the New York Mets traded him to Tampa Bay at the trade deadline.
Following a rare day off between home playoff games, the well-rested Tampa Bay Rays will look to take a commanding 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees on Monday in their best-of-five American League division series.
The Rays got 7 ⅔ innings of no-hit pitching from Drew Rasmussen in a 1-0 victory over the Yanks in Saturday's series opener. The AL's top seed will have trade deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42 ERA) on the mound in Game 2 against Yankees ace – and likely AL Cy Young award winner – Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) in a battle of right-handers.
Follow along for live updates, lineup news, key moments, analysis and highlights from Rays vs. Yankees in the ALDS.
Yankees vs Rays live box score
Where to watch Rays vs. Yankees: Channel, live stream
First pitch between the Rays and Yankees is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 5.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone comments on lineup decision
04:54 PM ET, October 5 2026, Kristie Ackert
St. PETERSBURG - Ryan McMahon is 1-for-14 in his career against Freddy Peralta. He's batting ninth for the Yankees in Game 2 anyway.
Aaron Boone isn't blinking.
Down 0-1 and coming off a one-hitter, Boone ran back the exact same lineup Drew Rasmussen just carved up. That's eight left-handed hitters again, tying the postseason record the Yankees set against Boston in the Wild Card Series. Rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. is the only right-handed bat.
Boone's read is that Saturday was about Rasmussen, not the plan.
He has a case. Against Sonny Gray in Wild Card Game 2, this exact group scored nine runs. Bellinger is 6-for-14 with a homer and four walks against Peralta, and he has three walks and no official at-bats against him this season. Rice hit .356 with seven homers against the Rays this year.
Peralta has thrown his changeup more since the trade, and it's the pitch right-handers lean on against lefties. Rasmussen used his to carry a no-hitter into the eighth. The Yankees watched it happen and didn't change a thing.
The alternatives weren't great either. Paul Goldschmidt is the best of them, a right-handed bat with nine hits against Peralta, seven of them for extra bases. But he went 2-for-24 against the Rays this season. Jose Caballero, the popular pick to replace McMahon, is 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Peralta.
Last October, Toronto ended the Yankees' season in the ALDS against a lineup built the same way.
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Have blessing, will travel: These Sox fans came 340 miles for Mike Vasil’s magic. Hopefully, the pixie dust covers another win in Cleveland. | (David Richard/Reuters Connect)
The White Sox have already taken over home-field advantage. Now, how about stealing Cleveland’s peace of mind?
After sweeping the Astros out of the Wild Card Series, the South Siders blazed into Cleveland and grabbed Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. Grant Taylor supplied four scoreless frames of absolute filth, while Munetaka Murakami launched a two-run, 112.2 mph bomb that I’m pretty sure still hasn’t landed.
Three postseason games, three wins. The Good Guys are making this October thing look pretty fun.
Today, they have a chance to head home with a 2-0 lead and put the Guardians one loss away from cleaning out their lockers. There’s plenty of work left, but making our division rivals sweat through an otherwise lovely fall afternoon sounds like a worthwhile activity.
Anthony Kay will serve as the opener, with Sean Burke expected to take over for bulk work. Apparently, escaping postseason bases-loaded jams earns you a promotion around here. El Duque Lite has already helped the Sox out of trouble in Wild Card Game 2 and ALDS Game 1. It would be nice to let Kay pitch without the entire neighborhood standing on the bases for once.
Having already worked two innings this postseason, Kay likely won’t go more than a couple of frames before handing things off. The veteran southpaw has been particularly stingy against Cleveland this season, surrendering just three earned runs over 20 innings across four starts and holding the Guardians to a .171 batting average.
His Baseball Savant profile isn’t exactly a sea of red, but there are tools here to get the job done. His sinker grades best among his pitches, sitting in the 67th percentile in run value, while his ability to coax hitters into chasing ranks in the 75th percentile. The approach should be to establish strikes early, use the sinker to generate ground balls and make the Guardians reach for pitches they can’t drive.
The catch is that getting hitters to chase hasn’t translated into piles of strikeouts. Kay sits in the 20th percentile in K rate and 36th in whiff rate, so he won’t be turning every plate appearance into a punchout. His xERA and xBA also rank near the bottom, a reminder that his excellent results against Cleveland don’t give him much room to get sloppy. Give the defense something manageable, keep the free passes down and hand Burke a clean game.
And please, keep traffic off the bases in front of José Ramírez. Kay has already performed enough postseason escape acts. Let’s try an inning without the handcuffs today.
Will Venable is sticking with the strategy that has gotten the Sox this far. Burke’s four-inning start in Wild Card Game 2 remains their only traditional starting assignment of the postseason. Otherwise, it’s been all hands on deck, with the next pitcher ready whenever the situation calls for him. We’ll see whether the third outing with that approach produces another win — and whether our blood pressure survives it.
Cleveland will counter with Gavin Williams, the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 draft. The 27-year-old righthander finished the regular season 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 32 starts.
This will be Chicago’s fifth look at Williams in 2026. The South Siders slashed .227/.318/.320 against him in their previous four meetings, so they know firsthand that stringing together hits isn’t easy. Their last encounter, Sept. 14 in Cleveland, ended with Williams taking the loss despite allowing only two runs on four hits, with two hit batters, three walks and seven strikeouts.
That game offers a useful reminder: The Sox don’t have to knock him all over the ballpark to beat him.
Williams’ Savant card practically flashes a warning sign when it comes to strikeouts: 97th percentile in K rate, 94th in whiff rate and 81st in chase rate. His four-seamer has both velocity and results behind it, while his sweeper ranks in the 98th percentile in run value. After the All-Star break, he was one of the best in strikeouts, with a 14.5 K/9. So, for the Good Guys to be successful, they can’t spend the afternoon waving at breaking balls off the plate. That would make his job entirely too easy.
But there’s a pretty big opening beneath all that swing-and-miss. Williams sits in the first percentile in hard-hit rate allowed, third in barrel rate and 12th in average exit velocity allowed. Making contact is the hard part. When hitters do connect, they’ve been capable of absolutely smoking the baseball. Looking at you, Mune and Colson Montgomery.
That makes selective aggression the assignment. Work the count, make Williams bring the ball into the zone and be ready to hammer a mistake. Patience shouldn’t mean watching a hittable strike sail past, especially against someone with this many ways to finish an at-bat. Look for something to drive early, then refuse to expand the zone when he tries to tempt them with that sweeper.
His cutter and sinker have graded much less favorably than his four-seamer and sweeper, so those could offer opportunities if he turns to them. Still, the goal is to punish location mistakes, not assume any particular pitch is batting practice. Make those plate appearances expensive and cash in when he gives the Sox an opening.
A walk and one loud swing can do plenty of damage. Murakami was kind enough to demonstrate that last part Saturday.
Chase Meidroth has been leading the postseason charge with a .364/.417/.636 slash line and 1.053 OPS. Colson has also delivered, including a clutch double in Game 1. Meanwhile, Mike Vasil and his magic wand need to send a little pixie dust toward Miguel Vargas and Braden Montgomery, whose bats have been on the cooler side. Miggy did reach three times Saturday with two walks and a single, though. We’ll happily take that kind of contribution while waiting for the extra-base hits.
The formula remains familiar: Make their pitcher work, capitalize on mistakes and keep the free passes under control. Another Murakami souvenir headed toward a neighboring ZIP code wouldn’t hurt, either.
First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on another perfect fall day, with sunshine and temperatures in the low 60s. Catch the game on TBS, truTV, UniMás or HBO Max, or listen to the local radio call on ESPN Chicago 1000.
Clear the afternoon calendar. The Good Guys have a chance to bring home something much better than a split.
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For the first time this postseason, the New York Yankees’ backs are against the wall.
On Saturday night, Drew Rasmussen and the Tampa Bay Rays blanked the Bronx Bombers 1-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS where Aaron Boone’s squad was held to just one hit — and a costly base-running blunder — after exploding for 18 runs against Boston in the two-game Wild Card round.
“We just didn’t generate enough obviously,” the Yankee skipper said in a postgame press conference. “The losses are gut punches but you just gotta keep moving.”
Tonight, New York will get another crack at the AL East winners when they meet at Tropicana Field for Game 2.
Ace Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) and Rays midseason acquisition Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42 ERA) will start in the cutthroat contest.
“We’re obviously always thrilled when we hand the ball to Cam and hopefully we can go out and put some [runs] on the board to support him…come out of here with a split and head back home,” Boone noted.
Don’t miss this one. We expect a showstopper in St. Petersburg.
Here’s how to tune in to the Game 2 of the best-of-five ALDS without cable.
Yankees vs. Rays start time
Game 2 of the Yankees-Rays ALDS is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET today, Oct. 5.
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Yankees vs. Rays starting pitchers
Cam Schlittler (14-6, 1.95 ERA) will start for the Yankees and Freddy Peralta (10-11, 4.42 ERA) is toeing the rubber for the Rays.
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The Yankees jumped through the Wild Card Series without incident, sweeping the Red Sox away in a 2-0 result that featured a 16-run differential, but they’re facing a much-tougher task now that they’re up against the Rays in the ALDS. Tampa Bay quieted their offensive momentum completely in Game 1, Drew Rasmussen pitching a one-hit masterpiece over eight innings, but if they ever found a pulse in that game it was eminently winnable as Tampa had only scored one run for themselves on a Jonathan Aranda home run against Gerrit Cole. Game 2 is on deck later tonight, and while it remains a crucial one for the Yankees to win to avoid putting their backs to the wall, the season is far from over after one ugly game.
Plenty of questions were raised after getting punched in the face by the Rays though, and if the Yankees’ playoff hopes get to continue beyond this week they’ll have to answer them in rapid succession. Can their offense do more than hope to wear out opposing starters and feast on relief pitching? Will they need a gem from every starter they send out on the mound to have a chance of advancing? Who can be the spark plug in a game like Saturday’s when its clear that things aren’t working out? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of October 8th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Oct 7, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of the ALDS logo on the field in game three of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series between New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
After the Braves tied up their series with the Dodgers 1-1 and the Brewers took a 2-0 lead on the Padres on Sunday, the American League Division Series are on tap today.
After the Rays beat the Yankees 1-0 and the White Sox beat the Guardians 3-0 on Saturday, all four teams got an off day on Sunday. Chicago used five pitchers to hold Cleveland scoreless and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer to carry the White Sox to victory in Game 1. Drew Rasmussen threw eight scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out 10 Yankees for the Rays, who got the one run they needed from a Jonathan Aranda homer.
With Game 2 for both series taking place today, will the pitchers continue to dominate? Or will the offenses show up?
Chicago White Sox (0-0) at Cleveland Guardians (0-0) — 3 p.m. MDT
Pitching Matchup: Anthony Kay (10-9, 4.44 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (14-8, 3.76 ERA)
