The New York Yankees wrapped up a tumultuous series against the Cleveland Guardians via a dominant Game 5 victory at Yankee Stadium. With no days of rest, the team boarded a plane to Houston and played Game 1 of the ALCS the following day, which ended in a loss for the squad. Two successive defeats put them in a tough position, but they will put up a fight with ace Gerrit Cole on the mound for this critical match.
These two contests have not been a beatdown by the Astros, but this veteran and the experienced franchise have been doing the small and meticulous details that put them in a significant advantage over the Yankees squad. It is the same old Astros that has been continuing the misery of Yankees fans in the postseason, but these are numerous changes manager Aaron Boone can experiment with in the next games.
Swing for contact rather than power
This iteration of the Bronx Bombers led by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton has been focused on hitting homers because of the immense power of their two leaders. That approach is a high-risk, high-reward method which indicates how the Yankees beat the Guardians but lost the last two games against Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez. Even Stanton vocalized the need to alter their mindset going into a must-win Game 3.
Aside from Judge and Stanton, it is only Harrison Bader who has been stellar in the postseason, so other individuals like Gleyber Torres and Josh Donaldson must focus on their swings to keep it in the park. Swinging for the fences will not necessarily work against arguably the best pitching staff of Houston. The strikeout numbers of New York have been miserable and that cannot be replicated in the following games.
Harrison Bader As Yankees' Leadoff
Before putting Gleyber Torres as the table setter of the lineup, it was Aaron Judge at that position for a long juncture of the season. It puts pitchers in a tough job. After all, they cannot warm up or relax initially because they will be pitching to Aaron Judge to open the match. Putting Torres as the leadoff hitter has not materialized as well so starting the red-hot Harrison Bader could be a brilliant experiment for the Yankees.
In the Guardians series, there were many instances in that Bader was the spark plug that boosted the confidence and rhythm of the offense of the Yankees. Furthermore, Bader's impact and value are not just with the bat he is known as one of the best defensive outfielders in the MLB. When he was acquired for Jordan Montgomery, it riled up many Yankees fans but now the results are speaking for themselves.
Limit innings of the bullpen with Cole on the mound
With the several injuries to relievers like Chad Green, and Michael King, and off-field issues for Aroldis Chapman, the depth of their bullpen has been severely depleted in the postseason. Utilizing most of the staff for the Guardians series and with the lack of rest between both series, Aaron Boone must consider pitching Gerrit Cole for 5-7 innings, which limits the wear and tear on his bullpen arms.
With three straight games at Yankee Stadium, it would be excellent for them to come out victorious in all these contests. If that is the wish or desire, the bullpen must be fresh in the following games, especially the trio of Wandy Peralta, Jonathan Loaisiga, and Clay Holmes.
It is the Houston Astros again as the roadblock to a World Series berth for the New York Yankees, and let's see if this is the year they pull through and win it all for the first time since 2009.
Follow Us
Subscribe