Yankees may have tough decision for potential Game 3 starter in Wild Card round
Yankees pitcher Luis Gil throws during the fourth inning against the Red Sox on Sept. 12 in Boston. Credit: AP/Mark Stockwell
MINNEAPOLIS — With the Yankees’ AL East title hopes a long shot at best — they came into Wednesday five games behind the Blue Jays with 11 games to go — and increasingly looking as if they’ll be the top wild-card team, the organization has a difficult decision when it comes to who starts the third game of that best-of-three Wild Card round.
Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, barring the unforeseen, are near locks for Game 1 and 2, respectively, which leaves a potential win-or-go-home Game 3 in the hands of Luis Gil or rookies Will Warren and Cam Schlittler.
Though, in reality, because of the up-and-down nature of Warren’s season, which has included too many big innings, it’s really between hard-throwers Schlittler and Gil (the latter started Wednesday night’s series finale against the Twins).
Not at all surprising, manager Aaron Boone wasn’t much interested in exploring the topic late Tuesday night after Schlittler had his least impressive outing since coming up in early July in a 10-9 victory, a game in which the 24-year-old had almost no command, which helped the Twins nearly rally from a 10-1 deficit after four innings.
“That’s, hopefully, what? 10, 12 days away,” Boone said of that decision. “We’ll do what we think is best. I expect, hopefully, both of those guys to play a huge role for us down the stretch and what we hope is an October run.”
Both, of course, will play a huge role over the final 1 1⁄2 weeks as the Yankees try to sew up home-field advantage for the Wild Card series. The question is their respective roles for that best-of-three series, namely for a potential Game 3 (the pitcher not tabbed for the rotation is all but certain to be in the bullpen).
Although the Yankees won’t begin their playoff planning meetings in earnest until, obviously, an opponent is determined, there have been plenty of conversations behind the scenes regarding roster composition and, yes, which pitcher would get the nod for a third playoff game.
There are, strong arguments for both.
Gil, who started the season on the injured list with a right lat strain, brought a 4-1 record with a 2.83 ERA in eight starts since being activated into Wednesday’s game. Command has been an issue as he’s walked 27 batters in 41 1⁄3 innings, including four walks in each of his previous two starts, each of those six-inning outings.
But the 27-year-old Gil has more of a track record in the big leagues than Schlittler. He went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA last season in 29 starts in winning AL Rookie of the Year honors last season, then started two postseason games (Game 4 of the ALCS vs. the Guardians and Game 4 of the World Series against the Dodgers, with neither of those starts particularly memorable in a positive sense).
Had it not been for Schlittler’s emergence after the Yankees — who were organizationally short on starters after Clarke Schmidt was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery — brought him up in July, Gil making the wild-card rotation would have been a no-brainer.
And Gil’s most recent start Friday night in Boston saw the righty produce six effectively wild no-hit innings before being removed after 93 pitches (54 strikes).
“Probably his best (start) since coming back,” Boone said.
Schlittler, even with Tuesday’s clunker when he threw just 49 strikes in an 89-pitch outing in which he allowed four runs, three hits and a season-high five walks over 4 2/3 innings, has flashed plus stuff far more often than not in going 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 12 games.
Schlittler, who like Gil established a reputation for unflappability and fearlessness on the mound during his climb through the minors, called his lack of command, with his team leading 10-1, “embarrassing.”
The confident rookie also knows exactly what is at stake in this stretch run.
“That’s obviously the goal [to pitch in the playoffs],” Schlittler, known as a strike-thrower in the minors in a way Gil was not, said late Tuesday night. “You’re not going to get those opportunities when you walk five against a team that’s not even in the race.”
Boone said the organization will evaluate a little of everything in the decision, results first and foremost.
“Performance matters,” Boone said. “They’re each going to have a few more here, so hopefully they kind of put us in a tough situation based on them performing well.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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