The New York Yankees, already securing a playoff berth, are coming off a forgettable series with the Toronto Blue Jays when the lost 3 of 4 games at Sahlen Stadium in Buffalo. Tonight they are back home at Yankee Stadium and will face the Miami Marlins in the last series of the regular season. J.A. Happ will take the mound for the Yankees, and Sandy Alcantara will pitch for the Marlins.
The New York Yankees are 32-25 and are 6-4 in their last ten games. The National League Miami Marlins are 29-28, having lost six of their ten starts. While the Yankees have secured a berth in the playoffs, these are still important games to win. As it stands today, the Yankees will play the wild card round with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. If they win all three of the games against the Marlins, they could switch the series to their home in the Bronx and regain the home-field advantage. Manager Aaron Boone said last night if we are playing well, it doesn’t matter where we play.
These games are even more important for the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are still trying to clinch a playoff spot. The Marlins are coming off a win against the Atlanta Braves, putting them one game above .500. If the Marlin’s don’t win at least two of the games against the Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies could potentially jump ahead of them in the NL East, eliminating the Marlins from the postseason. The Phillies are just one game behind the Marlins.
The game tonight at Yankee Stadium will be played under mostly cloudy skies with very little chance of a passing shower. The game-time (7:05 pm) temperature will be just over 70 degrees. The matchup will be televised on the YES Network and Fox Sports Florida.
When the game starts, J.A. Happ will take the mound in the Bronx for the Yankees. Happ coming down the stretch has been the best pitcher for the Yankees, having an ERA of 1.93 in his last six starts. After getting off to a slow start, Happ has been nothing short of dominating. If Happ is hot tonight, he will be near unhittable. He is presently 2-2 with a 3.25 ERA on the season. In his last outing, he had a four-hitter while pitching eight scoreless innings, striking out 9 Red Sox with 113 pitches.
The Miami Marlins will start Sandy Alcantara, who is 3-2 with an ERA of 3.12. He has had his best games in September, nearly matching Happ’s ERA in September. Alcantara has a September ERA of 2.25. Tonight’s game will be a close pitching matchup. One interesting thing about Alcantara is that he pitches better in his road games than at home at Marlin’s Park. His road record is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. While very few Marlins hitters have faced Happ, no Yankee has ever faced Alcantara.
Tomorrow at the Stadium, the Yankee pitching sensation Deivi Garcia will take the mound facing the Marlins’ Trevor Rogers at 1:05 pm. The Sunday game will be at 3:05 pm and will most likely be a bullpen game for the Yankees.