I know that yesterday and weekends in October, in general, are more focused on football than anything. Saturday is dominated by college football, and Sunday is dominated by NFL games. However, if you missed watching the baseball games from the Division Series, you definitely missed out. Playoff baseball is always more exciting, and we’ve seen some great games in every series so far. Tonight we have Game 2 between the Yankees and Rays.
The New York Yankees made light work of the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round, but this was going to be a different task. Being at home, especially in the playoffs, is typically a bit easier. The Yankees have been a good team on the road this season, but in Game 1, they looked lost. Was it because it was their first road game in a week, or was it because the Rays pitched a gem of a game? Probably mostly the ladder, but it is still worth considering that perhaps there could be some road woes for the Yankees. The Yankees were 2-5 in Tampa this season.
The Yankees get a great chance to even up the series tonight as they send Cam Schlittler to the mound. He was fantastic in his first postseason start against the Red Sox. He went 6.1 innings and allowed just two hits and one walk. He didn’t allow a run and struck out 10 hitters. It was a bit concerning that he threw 117 pitches in the game; that was 11 more pitches than he threw in any game this season. Actually, it is the most he has thrown in any game of his career.
CAM SCHLITTLER AND BEN RICE, YANKEES’ OWN MASSACHUSETTS NATIVES, CRUSH RED SOX IN GAME 1 BLOWOUT
The Tampa Bay Rays were the best team in the American League this season, and they are looking to make that regular-season success into some postseason magic. In Game 1, the team didn’t exactly break out the bats, but they didn’t need to. Thanks to Drew Rasmussen, they didn’t need much help. Rasmussen went 7.2 innings without allowing a hit. He allowed one in the bottom of the eighth, and the runner was thrown out trying to get to third. The lone run of the game came in the third inning when Jonathan Aranda hit a homer off of Gerrit Cole.
YANKEES LOSE ALDS GAME 1 TO RAYS AS AUSTIN WELLS IS THROWN OUT AT THIRD AFTER BREAKING UP NO-HITTER
The Rays knew they had something special going this season, which is why they went out and traded for the second-best pitcher available on the market. Freddy Peralta came over at the deadline after a miserable start with the Mets. He seems to have locked in during September with 28 innings pitched and just three earned runs allowed in the month. The Rays have won the past six Peralta starts. He did face the Yankees earlier in the year with the Mets and went five innings and allowed three earned runs. Cody Bellinger has mashed Peralta in the past, going 6-for-14 against him.
Tonight should be a great game between the two starters. I’m really not sure how you fade the Yankees with Schlittler on the mound, but the Rays are officially 30 games over .500 in home games this year after a Game 1 win. Peralta has pitched well, and the Rays seem to get the most out of their starters. Peralta is 1-3 with a 4.32 career ERA in the postseason. I lean toward the under, but I’m going to take Schlittler and the Yankees at -127 to win the game as my official play.
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