The Yankees and Indians are set to square off in the Bronx on Sunday night for the third game of the AL Division Series in a matchup that has the potential to end the Bombers’ season.
On the mound for the Cleveland will be Carlos Carrasco, a 30-year-old right-hander who yielded six hits to the Yankees when the teams met in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
The Yankees will answer with Masahiro Tanaka, 28, a right-hander who had 13 wins in the regular season and no appearances against the Tribe.
Here are a few of the story lines that we’ll be following:
How the Yankees’ bullpen might perform
Yankees’ relievers struck out nearly one of every three batters they faced during the regular season, a performance that led the majors. The bullpen posted an ERA that was 24 percent below the league average.
Still, the Yankees on Friday night failed to stop Cleveland from scoring nine runs after starting pitcher CC Sabathia left the bullpen a five-run lead. The Indians tied the game on a solo home run by Jay Bruce off David Robertson, who had not yielded a home run since July 29.
The performance by Yankees’ relievers contrasted with the team’s relief pitching on Tuesday, when the bullpen got 29 outs that included 13 strikeouts on the way to an 8-4 win over the Twins.
How will Joe Girardi handle reviews of replays?
In the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday, home plate umpire Dan Iassonga awarded Indians batter Lonnie Chisenhall first base after ruling that a pitch from Chad Green brushed Chisenhall’s hand.
Replay showed the pitch should have been ruled an out – the ball glanced off Chisenhall’s bat and was caught by Sanchez – to end the inning. But Yankees’ Manager Joe Girardi failed to challenge the call. The next batter, Francisco Lindor, hit a grand slam that narrowed the Yankees’ lead to one.
Following the game, Girardi told reporters he did not request review of the replay because he hesitated to hold up play and possibly disrupt Green’s rhythm.
But on Saturday, after being flayed by the news media, the skipper apparently reconsidered. “I screwed up,” Girardi told reporters. “In hindsight, yeah. I wish I would have challenged it.”
Writing in the Times, Billy Witz called the mea culpa “a startling admission from a manager who takes great pride in being fastidiously prepared and always in search of an edge.”
Will Carrasco be able to silence the Yankees’ bats?
The silver lining for the Yankees: They’ve already faced Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber.
A reunion with Carrasco holds the potential for the Yankees to build on their success against him in August, when the pitcher gave up a home run to Aaron Judge, a triple to Jacoby Ellsbury and a double to Todd Frazier.
Judge has yet to get a hit in the ALDS. Ellsbury, who did not play on Thursday, went hitless on Friday in three tries as designated hitter. Frazier notched three hits on Friday after getting none a night earlier.
A win by the Yankees would allow them to host the Indians again on Monday, with the potential to return the series to Cleveland for a fifth game in the best-of-five series.