Before the New York Yankees faced off against the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, the primary concern was their starting pitching rotation. The unit consisted of Janes Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and Luis Severino.
Both Paxton and Tanaka were inconsistent during the regular season, but Moose caught fire towards the end of the campaign. Tanaka remained luke-warm but has been stellar during the postseason, allowing just one run over two games. His performance against the Houston Astros was not only strategic but rather magisterial by manager, Aaron Boone.
What has been the New York Yankees’ biggest weakness?
The Bronx Bomber’s biggest weakness was undoubtedly their starting pitching. For a majority of the regular season, the starting unit had above a 4.00 ERA. The postseason has been different, but the concerns still lie dormant beyond the void. In game two against Houston, Paxton will be the featured option. If he can replicate Tanaka’s performances the Yankees, they could theoretically play their first home game with a significant advantage.
How important is game two?
With the Yankees blanking Houston 7-0 on Saturday night, the confidence boost and psychological advantage will be significant moving forward. Second baseman Gleyber Torres was stellar in all facets of the game, showing off his athleticism and plate discipline against Zach Greinke. The youth stats for the Yankees displayed their influence, which was exactly what the Bombers needed in their first game of the series against the Astros.
The infield seems concrete, as they turned multiple double plays. First baseman DJ LeMahieu was terrific in game one, picking numerous balls out of the dirt and helping Tanaka get out of minor jams.
The defense for the Yankees isn’t the problem, though; in fact, the pitching doesn’t seem to be either. If the rotation can continue to perform and the bullpen is adequately managed, the Yanks can dominate the series against the Astors,