In tonight's contest between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees that will go a long way toward determining the American League Wild Card, the Rays will send co-ace David Price to the mound.
Pitching Favors Rays vs. Yankees In Game 162
The Yankees, not so much. While they’re playing most of their lineup regulars, manager Joe Girardi’s not taking any chances with his key pitchers. From David Waldstein in The New York Times:
... the Yankees did not have a clear-cut choice for Wednesday’s starting pitcher and opted to give 23-year-old Dellin Betances the ball. Betances is a top pitching prospect, but going into Wednesday’s game he had exactly two innings of major league experience, both of them coming last week in mop-up duty against the Rays in a game at Yankee Stadium.
Betances, a 23-year-old right-hander who throws real hard, spent most of this season with Double-A Trenton, where he struck out a bunch of guys but also walked a bunch of guys. If the Rays are patient, they should get some good pitches to hit.
Of course, Betances isn’t going to throw many pitches or many innings, no matter how well he does. After three or four innings, Girardi’s going to deploy a parade of relievers, perhaps none of whom are slated for the Yankees’ postseason roster. Which should do lovely things for Tampa Bay’s hitters.
The Yankees are currently carrying 19 pitchers on their active roster; following Betances, we'll probably see the likes of Andrew Brackman, George Kontos, Scott Proctor, Raul Valdes, Aaron Laffey, and Phil Hughes.
Prediction: Rays 8, Yankees 3.
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