Masahiro Tanaka or J.A. Happ for Yankees in AL Wild Card Game? Size the contenders



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NEW YORK – It's easy to understand what the Yankees' Plan A are for their starting pitcher for their likely post-season deal, the Wild Card Game of the American League.

It's J.A. Happ.

Aaron Judge makes a came-back in the frolics of the Yankees

Happ's next start will be Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox, and if the Yankees do not change things in the final two weeks of the season, the southpaw will be on his fifth day of play against Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card game on Wednesday 3rd October.

Of course, the Yankees and the A still need to win Wild Cards – both will probably be in a week or so – and we have to see who finishes in front of who in the standings to determine the site – the Yanks have a 1 1 / 2 -Game leads on Oakland with 15 to go.

And … we have to see if the best part of Masahiro Tanaka's season continues to the point that manager Aaron Boone and coach pitchers Larry Rothschild choose to go to Plan B for a Wild Card starter Game.

Tanaka was great for a third straight start on Friday night, scoring six times with eight strikeouts in the Yankees' 11-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Now what?

The competition is launched and if the 17-match winner, Luis Severino, is still in the mix, his collapse and defeat in the second half at Oakland last week probably outweigh his strong resumption on Wednesday night in Minnesota .

Boone admitted that he was judging after Friday's victory.

"These things are important and what they did was important and the way they are launched in the last two weeks certainly matters," said Boone. "Absolutely, so yes, but we also take into account who we play, where we play and all these things, and you hope to have a number of people to choose from." hope."

Here are what the numbers look like:

– Happ at 16-6 with an average of 3.75 in 28 starts this season, including 5-0 with an ERA of 2.88 in seven starts since being traded by Toronto against the Yankees on July 26.

– Tanaka is 12-5 with an average of 3.47 ERA in 25 starts this season, including 3-2 with an ERA of 1.80 in his last six starts and 3-0 with an ERA of 0.45 in his last three games with 24 outs batting.

– Happ battled Athletics in his only start against them this season, allowing a six-run run in a non-decision at Oakland last Wednesday.

– Tanaka has not faced athletics this season.

– Happ is 1-1 with a score of 4.31 at Oakland in six starts, including five as a starter.

– Tanaka is 1-1 with a score of 4.91 ERA in two career starts at Oakland (2016, 2017).

– Happ is 4-0 with a 3.35 ERA in five starts at Yankee Stadium this season.

– Tanaka is 5-5 with an average of 3.66 in 11 home starts this season.

All this will be taken into account when Boone makes his decision later this month, as well as the good results of Happ and Tanaka (and possibly Severino) in the last few starts of the regular season.

Stay tuned.

"I think that any of us could participate in this match," Tanaka said. "For me, the important thing is to focus on this game and the next game."

Randy Miller can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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