The Yankees will have Jon Berti start and hit ninth against Michael Wacha according to Jack Curry of YES Network, and this decision may come as a shock to some after Oswaldo Cabrera got the start in Game 1 against Wacha. Berti went 1-4 in Game 2 of the ALDS, where the Yankees lost 4-2, but he hit some baseballs hard and did look sharp after returning from the IL in late September. The idea here is that Wacha doesn’t have the same success against RHBs as he does against LHBs, and the hope is that Berti will take advantage of that matchup advantage.
With the Yankees looking to secure the series tonight and move on to the American League Championship Series, all hands will be on deck tonight in Kansas City.
Yankees To Start Jon Berti In Potential Series Clincher
Michael Wacha is a funky pitcher, and it results in funky splits against left-handed and right-handed batters. His primary pitch is a changeup, which plays much better against lefties than righties, and while the numbers would suggest that Wacha is an even-splits arm, the underlying metrics suggest otherwise. Right-handed batters have a 20.1% K% and 7.2% BB% against Wacha this season while left-handed batters have a 22.2% K% and 5.7% BB%.
Furthermore, RHBs had a .327 xwOBA versus LHBs who had a .302 xwOBA against Wacha in the regular season. In Game 1 of the ALDS, Wacha faced a slew of right-handed hitters on the Yankees and walked more of them than he had struck out. The Yankees hope that Jon Berti can continue to provide tough at-bats against the veteran right-hander, as this game could send New York to the ALCS for the fourth time since 2017.
What this also allows is for the Yankees to have Oswaldo Cabrera as a weapon lurking on the bench against a tough right-hander with normal splits, as he’s shown a watchful eye in the postseason thus far.
READ MORE: The Yankees found a playoff gem in newfound closer
Oswaldo Cabrera has a 107 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this season and has only gotten better in those matchups as the season has gone on. While the Yankees have enjoyed his at-bats and speed at the bottom of the lineup, Berti provides some base-stealing prowess and profiles better for this matchup. Cabrera did have some good hacks against Wacha, as he hits changeups well, but pitches tailing away from left-handed batters are more deadly than pitches tailing into right-handed batters.
The Yankees will send Gerrit Cole out there as it is a rematch of Game 1, with the first pitch at 8:08 PM EST and Kansas City looking to defend their home turf and extend the series to a fifth and final game.