All pregame sports fodder - TV shows, "bold" print predictions and online drivel - slides into a slop-bucket of nothingness that stands out, even in these warm seas of influencer piss. Today and tomorrow, whatever we say, write or think will not matter one whit (as opposed to our regular season bullshit, which tugs the heartstrings of the juju gods.) In the leadup to Tuesday night, we can say anything. So can Michael Kay, or Boone, or Trump, or your Mom. We are in a pre-pregame mode. All that matters is Tuesday night.
That said, this we know...
Apparently, the Yankees will start Cam Schlittler. Thank God. Anybody else would tear a giant rift in the Yankiverse. There is nothing more cowardly than dissing your staff ace. For better or worse, it must be Schlittler.
But we all can recall stinker outings by our No. (Looking at you, Gerrit.) If Schlittler gives up a two-run blast in the first, Boone will develop an itchy trigger-finger. He might decide Schlittler is having an off-night, and it will be better to save him for a redemptive appearance in game three, if there is one.
If Schlittler gets into trouble, we will need an emergency Plan B. That could be Paul Blackburn and Brent Headrick, who have gallantly put out fires all season. But we might lose them for game two. On that note, I would suggest moving to our best starting pitcher in recent weeks, the mercurial Carlos Rodon.
Yep, Camlos Schlitdon: Five innings from Schlittler, four from Rodon. A righty starts, a lefty finishes. They never get comfortable. We hold the platoon advantage.
In game two, we start LH Max Fried and, if/when he gets into trouble, move to RH Will Warren. Maxill Fredren.
We still have Blackburn and Headrick - Blackrick? - and can move to David Bednar for a five-out save - Headnar?
Some 3-D chess here. Make no mistake: The Redsocks will do the same. Moreover, they have pitchers with particular axes to grind - Sonny Grey and Aroldis Chapman. But both have already enacted vengeance over their treatment in NYC (and frankly, El Chapo has yet to be adequately punished for the bullshit he brought us.)
Ah, but whatever we say, it doesn't matter. Not today. Not tomorrow. Only Tuesday night matters.
Still, let me assure you:
If the Yankees fail this week, the wrath of this website will be First Testament Biblical, and it will make that no-named Nor'easter look like a backyard kiddie sprinkler.
To go easier, all we must do is beat Boston. Do that, and we will always have a secret smile for 2026. And it starts Tuesday night.
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12 comments:
Will Weathers be around, too? A lot of starters to play with for three days.
Although they won't be days, they'll be nights, with 8 pm start times (ish), which means 2 a.m. start times for me here in Oktoberfestland, which means I won't be watching live, which sucks.
I assume it will also suck if we manage to squeak into the next round or even beyond. MLB decided years ago that night games in the (interminable) playoffs guaranteed higher ratiings, late nights for the employed and school-aged children be damned. (If they can stay up for Jimmy Fallon, they can stay up for this, though why anyone would stay up for Jimmy Fallon is beyond me.)
As for the NY Giants of New Jersey, they've now won two games. One more and they equal last year's win total. Amazing. Yesterday, I was sure they were going to pull the classic Giants routine and let the opposition march down the field and beat them in the final minutes/seconds. I sez to the wife, I sez, "The only way they don't lose here is if they get an interception." And lo, so they did.
No matter the coach, no matter how touted the defense, the Giants cannot stop an opponent when the game is on the line late. Been going on for years now, and I just don't get it.
Though I have to say it was fun to watch Daboil on the Jints butt from last year react to the interception and pound on the counter in front of him. Thought he was going to have a "nyah, nyah" moment, and instead, pineapple.
ED, this idea of yours makes so much sense. Which means, of course, that the Yankees Strat-O-Matic analytics gurus and our beloved brain trust won’t even consider it.
Use two starting pitchers in one game? Do that in back to back games? It's clear that Boone & Yankee Stat Boys don't believe in that kind of old time baseball. They've had all season to try such a thing. Never happened all year, so far as I can recall. There were plenty of times this year where they could've used Will Warren or another young starter to come into a game in the 4th or 5th inning and go the rest of the way. No, Yankee management must use Headrick, Blackburn, and Bednar in just about every winning game. That's why their innings pitched are so high.
My brain says the Red Sox have a great chance to win this series. If I were to put odds on it, I'd say Red Sox have at least a 65% probability of winning two of three. My heart says the Yankees better beat the damned Red Sox like a fucking pinata or else there'll be hell to pay. Which will be right, my brain or my heart?
That's pretty funny, O Peerless.
Considering the pitching advantage they have, the Yanks should roll up the incredibly weak AL field, given a modicum of hitting, fielding, concentration, and engagement.
As they are incapable of all of the above, I say, Sawx in two. Boston might well run the AL field, too, though I can't see them beating any team from the NL, where we need someone to knock off the damned Dodgers.
This is what my baseball hopes have boiled down to...someone beat the Dodgers! Please?
I think the Brewers will knock off the Dodgers this year. 2026 version of the Dodgers are definitely not as good as they've been the previous two years.
You know Boone will make at least two, if not three, humungous mistakes in field generalship. You know the Yankees will be unable to hit Boston pitching, like always. If they're bad against the Red Sox starters, they'll be even worse against their relievers. They won't score against Whitlock or Gunslinger Chapman. Plus, the Yankee infield defense will likely be horrendous. Might even see a seven error game. (Add in all the errors that are not errors, and it might be a fourteen error game.) Our pitching is very good and held us up all year, but it just might turn in a cringe-worthy performance against the Red Sox.
Murphy's Law analysis? Perhaps, but ain't we used to this by now? If they can lose four straight after taking a 3 games to none lead in 2004, setting a major league standard for Charlie Brown futility, you know they are capable of any manner of disaster. And from 2010 on, we've seen all kinds of losing. They have lost in just about every which way you can imagine. That's 16 straight years of finding ways to lose. Most of it happening in the post-season.
That's why, despite having a far superior overall record compared to the Red Sox this year, I have to put the odds heavily against the Yankees. Head to head, they're 7-6 against the Red Sox, if AI is correct. That's not very good, is it? A coin toss. You throw in all the negative factors, and voila, you get Boston winning this series.
Look at the mlb website: no Boston pitcher listed for Game 1. That's so Red Sox, is it not? Maybe they'll announce a starter tomorrow morning, then at game time, they'll switch to someone else. Head games, in order to ruin Yankee batter preparations. Gamesmanship works really well.
The greatest Japanese samurai duelist, Miyamoto Musashi, liked to play head games too. Like the time he agreed to a duel on a beach with another samurai. Musashi shows up way late, on a boat, I believe. Then kills the guy by beating him over the head with an oar. Rules, what rules?
We can win this series as long as boone is limited in any crucial decision making. The key of course is pitching.
I might be in the minority here, but I say Yanks in three.
Something tells me this series won't go to a third game. Either the Yankees win in two or the Red Sox win in two. Flip a coin. Could go either way. The winner of Game 1 will win this series. If you want to pin me down, I'll go with my heart, and I'll say Yankees sweep.
The Battlin' Bronx Bastards better not get me a-cursin', swearin', howlin', and barrel housin' all night long.
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