Though not official yet, the New York Yankees will be the number two American League team and will face the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS. The only way to still get the number one spot is to win their last three games while having Houston lose their last four. The chances of that are slim to none, but the final weekend is still really important to the Yankees.
Two Returns
Power-hitters Edwin Encarnacion and Gary Sanchez will be making their returns this weekend. It will be very important for the two get as many at-bats as possible. Though they haven’t missed that much time, the team needs to get them completely locked in for the postseason.
One More Tune-Up
Luis Severino will start on Saturday for the Yankees in the final of his three return starts. He will be stretched out a bit more in his final regular season start since he’s only pitched nine combined innings in the prior two starts.
CC Sabathia will also be making one more relief appearance, since he will be in the bullpen during the playoffs. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his first relief appearance.
Momentum And Back On Track
The Yankees got their final roadtrip off to a disappointing start, getting swept in a two game set with the Rays. They scored just one run over the two games, and will look to kickstart their offense again in Texas.
Doing so and getting a sweep over the Rangers would build some quick momentum heading into the playoffs. You never want to end the season on a sour note, and you don’t want a quick postseason elimination due to a lack of confidence.
The Yankees have an important final series in Texas before the postseason begins.