Yankees vs. Indians ALDS: Luis Severino available in relief in must-win Game 3
New York's top relievers are a little worn down despite Saturday's off-day
By
Mike Axisa
•
3 min read
NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees have their backs up against the wall in the ALDS. They're down 0-2 in the best-of-five series and will host the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium for Game 3 on Sunday night. A loss sends the Yankees home and the Indians to the ALCS. Here's how you can watch the game.
New York let an 8-3 lead slip away in their Game 2 loss, a 13-inning affair that further taxed a bullpen that was already taxed from Tuesday's Wild Card Game win. Because of that, the Yankees are preparing to use ace starter Luis Severino, who is currently scheduled to start Game 4 on Monday, in relief Sunday night.
"(Severino) will be in the bullpen tonight if we need him," said Girardi prior to Game 3. "We will use him. Hopefully we get distance out of (Masahiro) Tanaka and we don't have to, but we'll see what happens."
The decision to use Severino in relief in Game 3 stems from two things. One, regular setup men Chad Green and David Robertson are running on fumes. Green threw 40 pitches in the Wild Card Game and looked worn down in Game 2, when he allowed three runs in one-third of an inning. Robertson has thrown 77 high-stress pitches in the last five days.
"I think you'd have to say (their Game 3 availability is limited)," Girardi said of Green and Robertson. "The one guy you probably got to check on more than anybody is Dellin (Betances). It's not so much the pitches, it's the up and down. Two different innings (in Game 2). He threw the day before. So I have to see where he's at physically."
And secondly, if the Yankees do not use Severino in relief in Game 3, it's entirely possible he won't pitch in the series at all. He could be left waiting to start a Game 4 that never comes. That can't happen. Severino was one of the best pitchers in the AL this season and going an entire postseason series without him throwing a pitch would be terrible from a "giving ourselves the best chance to win" perspective.
Why not just start Severino, who would be on normal rest in Game 3 after a short 29-pitch outing in the Wild Card Game? A good question, and the answer is it doesn't help the bullpen. Severino pitched in relief last year and is familiar with the role. Masahiro Tanaka hasn't come out of the bullpen since very early in his career in Japan. Starting Severino would put the Yankees back in the "how do we piece together the middle innings?" boat.
For the Yankees, the Game 3 master plan is seven or eight innings from Tanaka, then closer Aroldis Chapman takes it the rest of the way. That's their best case scenario. In the unlikely event that happens -- this has not been a good postseason for starting pitchers -- someone needs to bridge the gap, and Girardi's options right now are Severino, or a fatigued Green, Robertson, and Dellin Betances. Severino is the best option.
Now, who starts Game 4 if the Yankees use Severino in relief in Game 3? That's a question they hope they have to answer. Girardi said Sunday they will figure that out when the time comes. The options are Sonny Gray on short rest, or either Jaime Garcia or Jordan Montgomery, both of whom started in the regular season but are long men in the ALDS.
"I'm not sure what we would do tomorrow (if Severino pitches Game 3)," said Girardi. "Really, today it's kind of all hands on deck and whatever happens, then we'll make a decision."
For now, the Yankees are focused on winning one game. Winning three straight games against an Indians team that hasn't lost three straight games since July is rather daunting, but the Yankees can't look at it that way. Their goal right now is to win one game, Game 3. And if that means using Severino, their best pitcher and scheduled Game 4 starter, out of the bullpen, they'll do it.
