Starting pitching just got even more important for the Yankees who will finish up their final home game against the Orioles this afternoon and head out to Arlington for the last regular season series with the Rangers. The Yankees need three reliable starters to get them through six innings before handing things off to an equally consistent bullpen. We saw Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes and even Jameson Taillon pitch some great baseball over the last couple weeks, making them seemingly a critical part of the rotation anchored by Gerrit Cole. Having all four of those pitchers in que will help the Bombers significantly as they will likely not see Clay Holmes or Zack Britton on the hill anytime soon. It is going to be a tough postseason and pitching will be key to the Yankees' success.
"Boone announced Friday that All-Star closer Clay Holmes is dealing with a shoulder issue and is unlikely to pitch the rest of the regular season. He received a cortisone shot but will not go on the injured list, because it would make him ineligible for the ALDS," reported CBS Sports. Furthermore, the Yankees likely saw the last of Britton who "exited Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, his former team, with left arm fatigue, the Yankees announced. He was placed on the 60-day injured list Saturday, ending his season."
Besides Britton and Holmes there are question marks around whether or not Aroldis Chapman or Wandy Peralta will be part of the roster for the start of the postseason. With all of these guys out or questionable, the Yankees are missing one key ingredient in the bullpen- a consistent reliable closer.
Now, I am not undermining what Ron Marinaccio, and Lou Trivino have been to this team over the last couple of weeks. They have been stellar—throwing hard strikes and getting key outs for the Yankees. Some are calling Trivino the Yankees' postseason right handed specialist, whatever that means. Bottom line, late in the game, Trivino and rookie Marinaccio have given the Yankees the much needed consistency, showing that likely the bullpen closing role will rotate among them and likely Clarke Schmidt.
Following the Yankees Friday's 2-1 loss to the Orioles, the Houston Astros have clinched the American League No. 1 seed, locking in the Yankees as the No. 2 seed. And after their win on Saturday, New York is 97-60 with just five regular season games remaining. It is going to be a tough postseason for the Yankees, and pitching in the stretch will be key. I hope the current staff can stay healthy and remain consistent both in the starting and closing roles. Otherwise, things will go south very fast for this Yankee team.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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