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Game 146: Good Sevy or Bad Sevy?

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(Ezra Shaw/Getty)

The nine-game winning streak against the Twins came to an end last night and tonight the Yankees will try to avoid doing something they’ve only done once in the last four years: Lose a series to the Twins. The Yankees dropped two of three to the Twins last July. Before that, you have to go back to late-May/early-June 2014 for their last series loss to Minnesota.

No matter who they’re playing, the Yankees really to see some improvement from Luis Severino tonight, because there’s not much season left. Severino has struggled badly for more than two months now. He has four regular season starts remaining, including tonight, and I’d sure like to see four great starts. Not okay starts or decent starts. Great starts. The Yankees will need Severino to be at his best to do anything in the postseason. The lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. CF Aaron Hicks
3. 3B Miguel Andujar
4. LF Giancarlo Stanton
5. SS Didi Gregorius
6. C Gary Sanchez
7. DH Luke Voit
8. 1B Greg Bird
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Minnesota Twins
1. 1B Joe Mauer
2. SS Jorge Polanco
3. DH Eddie Rosario
4. LF Robbie Grossman
5. 2B Logan Forsythe
6. CF Jake Cave
7. C Mitch Garver
8. RF Max Kepler
9. 3B Ehire Adrianza

RHP Jake Odorizzi

Warm with clear skies in Minneapolis tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Update: Aroldis Chapman (knee) threw a bullpen session in Tampa today. Depending how the knee responds, he could rejoin the team “sometime next week.” Hooray for that … Aaron Judge (wrist) took regular on-field batting practice with the team today rather than early work by himself. It doesn’t sound like much of a difference (and it’s really not), but it’s a sign he’s inching closer and closer to normal game preparation … Brett Gardner is out of the lineup for a second straight day with a sore right knee. He hurt it making a catch Monday.

Roster Move: Welcome back, Chance Adams. The Yankees called him up from Triple-A Scranton today, the team announced. There are 33 players on the active roster now. Luis Cessa, Sonny Gray, and Jonathan Loaisiga all pitched the last two days, so Adams is the long man du jour.

Game 145: Trying for a tenth straight win over the Twins

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(Hannah Foslien/Getty)

Whenever the Yankees need a lift, you can always count on the Twins. They won last night’s series opener at Target Field to improve to 95-33 against Minnesota since the start of the Ron Gardenhire era in 2002. That is a 120-win pace across 162 games. The Yankees have won nine straight games against Twins dating back to last year. Feels like they haven’t lost to them since Johan Santana was in his prime.

Anyway, the Yankees will send spot starter Sonny Gray to the mound tonight as they try for their tenth straight win over the Twins. Gray has pitched pretty well his last few times out. Four runs allowed in his last six games and 19.2 innings. I hope that continues tonight. If it doesn’t, there’s are a lot of arms out in that bullpen to pick him up. I suspect Jonathan Loaisiga is the long man de jour. The lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. CF Aaron Hicks
3. 3B Miguel Andujar
4. LF Giancarlo Stanton
5. SS Didi Gregorius
6. DH Gary Sanchez
7. 1B Luke Voit
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Sonny Gray

Minnesota Twins
1. 1B Joe Mauer
2. SS Jorge Polanco
3. 2B Logan Forsythe
4. LF Robbie Grossman
5. CF Jake Cave
6. DH Tyler Austin
7. RF Max Kepler
8. 3B Ehire Adrianza
9. C Willians Astudillo

RHP Tyler Duffey

There are some clouds moving in overnight but things are clear right now in Minneapolis. Pleasant night for a ballgame. Tonight’s game will begin at 8:10pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy.

Injury Update: Aaron Judge (wrist) took batting practice on the field again today. Back-to-back days. That’s a good sign. That means Judge didn’t feel anything in the wrist after yesterday’s session that made him shut it down today. Aaron Boone said the Yankees have a timetable in mind for Judge’s return. They’re just not going to reveal it. I don’t blame them.

Game 144: Please let this one go like pretty much every other Yankees vs. Twins series

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Never been but I want to go. (Presswire)

You know what the Yankees could use tonight? A blowout win. Been a while since they had one of those. I’m talking about a real laugher, not a “they won by five runs” blowout. Score three runs in the first, two in the second, four in the third … that sorta thing. Then turn it over to the September call-ups and let them take care of the rest. That would be ideal tonight. And every night, really.

In the (likely) event that doesn’t happen, the Yankees will still have J.A. Happ on the mound tonight, and he’s been pretty great since the trade. Seven starts and a 3.10 ERA in 40.2 innings? Couldn’t have asked for anything more. Happ’s been great and I hope he’s great again tonight. Hopefully the offense gives him a lot of run support too. Here are the starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. CF Aaron Hicks
3. 3B Miguel Andujar
4. DH Giancarlo Stanton
5. SS Didi Gregorius
6. C Gary Sanchez
7. 1B Greg Bird
8. 2B Gleyber Torres
9. LF Brett Gardner

LHP J.A. Happ

Minnesota Twins
1. 1B Joe Mauer
2. SS Jorge Polanco
3. 2B Logan Forsythe
4. RF Robbie Grossman
5. C Mitch Garver
6. DH Willians Astudillo
7. CF Jake Cave
8. LF Johnny Field
9. 3B Gregorio Petit

RHP Kyle Gibson

Clear skies and kinda humid in Minneapolis this evening. There’s no rain in the forecast though and that’s all that matters to me. Tonight’s series opener will begin at 8:10pm ET and you can watch on YES locally and MLB Network out-of-market. Enjoy the game.

Injury Update: Aaron Judge (wrist) took full on-field batting practice this afternoon. First time he’s done that. Everything went well. “Kind of a typical Aaron Judge BP. Putting on a show. It went really well. Another big step for him to get out on the field,” said Aaron Boone … Luke Voit has a stiff back and is day-to-day. He is available tonight if necessary, but it sounds like the Yankees hope to give him tonight and possibly tomorrow night off.

Minor League Update: There won’t be a DotF post again tonight, folks. There are no games on the schedule. Triple-A Scranton opens the best-of-five International League Championship Series against Durham (Rays) tomorrow night. The season is over for all the other affiliates. Domingo German is getting the Game One start for the RailRiders tomorrow.

Game 143: So Long, West Coast

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(Stephen Brashear/Getty)

The nine-game road trip does not end today, but the six-game West Coast swing does. After dropping two of three in Oakland (bah), the Yankees have won the first two games in Seattle (yay), so this afternoon they have a chance to finish the three-game sweep that would more or less close the door on the Mariners’ postseason hopes. At one point the Mariners were 7.5 games up on a postseason spot. Now they’re 7.5 games back. Rough.

Enough about the Mariners though. The Yankees have a comfortable eleven-game lead on a postseason spot, but they’re only 3.5 games ahead of the Athletics for the top wildcard spot, and getting homefield advantage in the Wild Card Game is mighty important. Because the Yankees hold the tiebreaker over the A’s, the magic number to clinch the top wildcard spot is 15 with 20 games to play. Still a lot of work to do. Here are today’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. LF Giancarlo Stanton
3. DH Miguel Andujar
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. 3B Neil Walker
6. 1B Luke Voit
7. 2B Gleyber Torres
8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria
9. CF Brett Gardner

LHP CC Sabathia

Seattle Mariners
1. RF Mitch Haniger
2. SS Jean Segura
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. DH Nelson Cruz
5. 1B Ryon Healy
6. LF Cameron Maybin
7. 3B Kris Negron
8. C David Freitas
9. CF Guillermo Heredia

RHP Erasmo Ramirez

It is cool, cloudy, and rainy in Seattle today. The Safeco Field roof should be closed. This afternoon’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:10pm ET. YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game, folks.

Injury Updates: Aaron Judge (wrist) continues to progress with no issues and could take full on-field batting practice during the upcoming series with the Twins this week. If that happens, it seems like there might be a chance Judge could join Triple-A Scranton for some rehab games before the end of their postseason … Didi Gregorius (heel) is okay. The Yankees are just taking it slow in his return from the disabled list because he didn’t play in any rehab games.

Rotation Update: Sonny Gray is listed as the starter for Tuesday’s game against in Minnesota. It’ll be J.A. Happ on Monday, Gray on Tuesday, and Luis Severino on Wednesday. The Yankees are using Gray as a spot starter to give Luis Severino an extra day between starts. I kinda wish they’d skip that start entirely. Alas.

Minor League Update: Don’t wait around for the daily DotF post today, folks. There won’t be one. There are no minor league games today. Triple-A Scranton clinched a spot in the International League Championship Series last night, and the series doesn’t begin until Tuesday. All the other minor league affiliates are done playing. DotF will return Tuesday as the RailRiders look to win their second Governor’s Cup in three years.

Game 142: A night with the King

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(Stephen Brashear/Getty)

Not that long ago, a matchup with Felix Hernandez would’ve meant the Yankees were in for a long night. Or a short night, depending how you look at it. Felix was as good as they come during his prime. Father Time remains undefeated though, and coming into tonight, Hernandez has a 5.55 ERA (4.97 FIP) in 147.2 innings. It’s a 4.60 ERA (4.85 FIP) in 387.2 innings dating back to Opening Day 2016. Yuck.

The Yankees have their own formerly reliable veteran on the mound tonight in Lance Lynn. Lynn pitched quiet well in his first three outings as a Yankee (one run in 16.1 innings), but his last four starts have been bad (19 runs in 18.2 innings), and I can’t help but wonder whether the Yankees would’ve started Sonny Gray today had Gray not been away from the team for the birth of his second child earlier this week. Hopefully Lynn bounces back tonight. Here are the lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. CF Aaron Hicks
4. 1B Luke Voit
5. 3B Miguel Andujar
6. SS Didi Gregorius
7. 2B Gleyber Torres
8. C Austin Romine
9. LF Brett Gardner

RHP Lance Lynn

Seattle Mariners
1. CF Mitch Haniger
2. SS Jean Segura
3. 1B Robinson Cano
4. DH Nelson Cruz
5. LF Denard Span
6. 3B Kyle Seager
7. RF Ben Gamel
8. C Mike Zunino
9. 2B Dee Gordon

RHP Felix Hernandez

Another cloudy and cool night in Seattle, though there’s no rain in the forecast tonight, so the Safeco Field roof will probably be open. That’s good. Baseball outside is better than baseball inside. Tonight’s game will begin at 9:10pm ET and you can watch on YES. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Updates: Didi Gregorius (heel) is in the starting lineup, as you can see, but he is not expected to play the entire game. The Yankees are treating these as rehab games right now, so it might be a few days before Didi plays a full nine innings … Aaron Judge (wrist) hit in the batting cage today and went through his usual defensive drills as well. He started swinging a bat earlier this week and everything continues to go well … Aroldis Chapman (knee) is throwing on flat ground in Tampa. He’s still relatively early in his throwing program though.

Game 141: A New Series

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(Presswire)

I don’t know about you, but that series against the Athletics irked me all through the off-day. Pretty crummy series all the way around. At least it’s over. The Yankees are now in Seattle for a three-game series against a Mariners team that managed to go from seven games up on a postseason spot to 5.5 games back of a postseason spot the last two and a half months. Ouch. Seattle is nine games behind the Yankees at the moment.

Masahiro Tanaka is on the mound and, at this point, the Yankees are basically holding open auditions for the Wild Card Game starter. On any given day the Wild Card Game starter will be the last guy who pitched well. Right now, it’s J.A. Happ. With a strong start tonight, everyone will say it’s Tanaka. I hope that is the case in a few hours. Here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. RF Andrew McCutchen
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. CF Aaron Hicks
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. 3B Miguel Andujar
6. 1B Luke Voit
7. 2B Gleyber Torres
8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria
9. LF Brett Gardner

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Seattle Mariners
1. RF Mitch Haniger
2. SS Jean Segura
3. 2B Robinson Cano
4. DH Nelson Cruz
5. LF Denard Span
6. 1B Ryon Healy
7. 3B Kyle Seager
8. C Mike Zunino
9. CF Dee Gordon

LHP James Paxton

Chilly evening in Seattle and there are some showers in the forecast later on, so the Safeco Field roof is probably going to close at some point, if not before the game. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10pm ET and YES will have the broadcast. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Updates: In case you missed it earlier, Didi Gregorius (heel) has been activated off the disabled list, and the hope is he’ll play tonight. Aaron Boone said they want to ease Didi back into things since he hasn’t played any rehab games, and it sounds like the plan is to have him come off the bench once the tough lefty (Paxton) is out of the game. Gregorius will play tomorrow, but likely not the entire game. It’s a rehab assignment at the big league level, basically … Aaron Judge (wrist) took another step forward in his rehab today. He hit off a tee and soft toss on the field today, and again everything went well. The wrist is essentially pain-free. “This is kind of what we’ve been waiting for the whole time,” said Boone.

Roster Note: Sonny Gray has rejoined the Yankees. He missed the A’s series because he was home with his wife, who gave birth to their second child earlier this week. Congrats to them.

Game 140: Sevy For The Series Win

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(Presswire)

Pretty big win last night. The Athletics are coming after the Yankees for homefield advantage in the wildcard game and, after getting shut down for five innings, the Yankees rallied late against a good bullpen. Good response after Monday’s loss. Here are the current wildcard standings:

  1. Yankees: 87-52
  2. Athletics: 83-57 (4.5 GB)
    ——————————
  3. Mariners: 77-62 (10 GB)
  4. Rays: 75-63 (11.5 GB)

The same as two days ago, basically. Which is good for the Yankees because there are two fewer games on the schedule now. The series ain’t over yet though, and tonight’s game will determine whether the Yankees go into tomorrow’s off-day with a 3.5-game lead or a 5.5-game lead. Go win the series. Here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. LF Brett Gardner
2. DH Giancarlo Stanton
3. RF Andrew McCutchen
4. CF Aaron Hicks
5. C Gary Sanchez
6. 1B Luke Voit
7. 3B Neil Walker
8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria
9. 2B Gleyber Torres

RHP Luis Severino

Oakland Athletics
1. CF Ramon Laureano
2. 3B Matt Chapman
3. 2B Jed Lowrie
4. DH Khris Davis
5. 1B Matt Olson
6. RF Stephen Piscotty
7. SS Marcus Semien
8. LF Chad Pinder
9. C Josh Phegley

RHP Mike Fiers

Another chilly evening with clear skies in the Bay Area. Great night to spend at the ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05pm ET and you can watch on YES locally or MLB Network out-of-market. Enjoy the game, folks.

Injury Update: Didi Gregorius (heel) went through another full day of workouts and will “probably” be activated Friday, according to Aaron Boone … Aaron Judge (wrist) hit off a tee for the third straight day and again reported no issues. His rehab plan is still being mapped out, but he’s making progress … Clint Frazier (post-concussion migraines) suffered a setback and is unlikely to return this season. Poor kid. He was preparing to join Double-A Trenton for the postseason when his symptoms flared up again. Get healthy, Clint. See you in Tampa in a few months.