One Game Wild Card

[Mr. Brooks]

No—when the season comes down to one game, a team will do everything they can to win. It makes no sense to assume the Yankees would look past the Twins, simply because they've already beaten them. Keep in mind, the Twins beat them twice earlier in the year. They'll be prepared, and they'll probably play a tough game. Frankly, I'm astonished that anyone would think otherwise.

I never suggested they'd look past them. Just that they won't forego their best pitcher in lieu of lefty/righty matchup. That's a tactic you only resort to if you think it's your only chance.

[spinowner]

The Yankees will start whichever pitcher they feel has the best chance of doing well against our lineup. And they will start the lineup they feel has the best chance of scoring runs against our pitchers. No looking past, no assuming they'll win. We will have to beat the best they have to offer.

[prouster]

 

I never suggested they'd look past them. Just that they won't forego their best pitcher in lieu of lefty/righty matchup. That's a tactic you only resort to if you think it's your only chance.

 

I guess we're operating on different definitions of what looking past a team is. Ignoring the probabilities because you just swept the team and you'll be at home? I sure wouldn't feel comfortable with that strategy. One game is chaos. I'd do everything I could to add order to that chaos. Maybe that means starting Severino. Maybe it means Garcia or Gray. I think there's a case to be made for any of the three. Hell, maybe they'll have Sabathia go four and follow him with Robertson and Betances with Chapman to close it out, thinking Severino can give them seven or eight against Cleveland.

 

Regardless of who they start, I can assure you it's because they think he gives them the best chance to win that one game.

[Shaitan]

The day off in the last week is really useful for scheduling out a rotation. I wonder if it's a league-wide thing, or just luck of the draw.

[Mr. Brooks]

I guess we're operating on different definitions of what looking past a team is. Ignoring the probabilities because you just swept the team and you'll be at home? I sure wouldn't feel comfortable with that strategy. One game is chaos. I'd do everything I could to add order to that chaos. Maybe that means starting Severino. Maybe it means Garcia or Gray. I think there's a case to be made for any of the three. Hell, maybe they'll have Sabathia go four and follow him with Robertson and Betances with Chapman to close it out, thinking Severino can give them seven or eight against Cleveland.

 

Regardless of who they start, I can assure you it's because they think he gives them the best chance to win that one game.

I was responding to specifically them starting a lesser pitcher, simply because they are left-handed.

That's all. I don't think they will, we'll see.

 

Obviously, whoever they start is who THEY think gives them the best chance to win. I have my doubts that they will think a lefty gives them the best chance to win, that's all.

 

Perhaps I could have worded my original response better.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Because they are clearly a superior team, and that's before you factor in that the Twins tremble at the sight of Yankee Stadium.

 

Of course anything can happen in one game, but they aren't going to get cute with lefty/ right matchup against a team they can easily beat regardless.

They'll just go with their best pitcher, even though he's right handed.

There’s an easy solution to this problem, one every MLB team would use no matter the opponent:

 

Use your best pitcher. It’s the postseason. No team is going to get cute with L/R matchups when one pitcher is so clearly superior to everyone else.

[spinowner]

 

The day off in the last week is really useful for scheduling out a rotation. I wonder if it's a league-wide thing, or just luck of the draw.

Luck of the draw for lack of a better way to say it. The schedules are set a year in advance. For example, the Twins have an off day on Monday, September 24.

[Old Twins Cap]

Who cares who the Yankees pitch, I don't.

 

The game plan for the Twins is to:

 

Prevent Yankee runs.

 

Get runners on.

 

Hope for the best.

 

 

[ThejacKmp]

 

I'm not so sure. As has been mentioned, he's not "in line" to make that start. However, he is perfectly lined up to start game one of the ALDS. Garcia would be on normal rest for the wild card game assuming he starts Saturday and then again next Thursday.

Perhaps the Twins as a whole team have the same ops vs LH starters, but that includes Miguel Sano. He's not a given to return. He has a 1.011 OPS vs LHP this year. It's a noticeable hole in the lineup vs LHP.

 

Miguel Sano is a loss. But then again, Joe Mauer hit lefties like crap all year and is now in beast mode. And Max Kepler was unusually bad against lefties and has been heating up. Plus, statistically one player can't drag the team OPS vs LH starters that far. It's likely pretty close even without Sano.

[Shaitan]

 

Luck of the draw for lack of a better way to say it. The schedules are set a year in advance. For example, the Twins have an off day on Monday, September 24.

 

I thought it might be in the collective bargaining agreement or something that each team gets a day off in the final 10 days of the season or something along those lines.

[gil4]

 

gimenez.

As long as they can DH for him.

[DaveW]

I apologize in advance:

 

I have been to all of these Twins vs Yankees playoff games, and they have lost them all, will be at this one as well