Who can the Yankees trust in the game of wild cards?

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The good news for the Yankees? Severino is not the only starter to get in shape.

Commercial Acquisition J.A. Happ is still undefeated since arriving in late July and Masahiro Tanaka, although roughed up on Thursday, has been almost invincible in the past month.

"If we want to get where we want to go, the three players you just mentioned will play a huge role," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

So, which of them will take the mound when the Yankees play in the wild card game of the American League?

Last week, Boone and his team started trying to answer this question. Points and counter-points have been created and a multitude of factors are being studied.

Do you run a guy just because he's got it? What credibility do you give to recent performance? Is the post-season history of an individual pitcher important? How could the planning of the potential game 1 of the series of divisions have an impact on the decision?

Regardless of how the process of selecting a wild card game starter continues, the Yankees believe that with the three pitchers showing flashes of success lately, this choice is a chance they will have to make .

"We are going to have a tough decision to make in this match we are going to use," said Boone. "But we also think we will make a very good decision."

Stick to Sevy?

Until his last two starts, Luis Severino had trouble proving that he deserved to participate in such an important match.

Since he took a 13-2 lead and seemed to be a good part of the Cy Young Award discussion until July 1, Severino had scored a 3-6 record by starting Wednesday against his rival Boston Red Sox. His ERA in this sequence was a bloated 5.72, a stark contrast with his mark of 1.98 after the first three months of the season.

Before making a difference with his one-run outing, seven innings against Boston on Wednesday and his five-race outing to Minnesota last week, Severino had made six points in a bad start to Oakland. t even get out of the third inning. He had communication problems that night with catcher Gary Sanchez. The duo recorded two wild throws and two balls in the first leg only.

But when Boone was questioned immediately after this atrocious exit on the possibility of keeping the battery for the game of October 3, the manager gave his players a vote of confidence.

"Do I think these two are capable of going out and pushing?" Boone said. "Absolutely."

Boone trusted Severino then, and he certainly does now. The fact that the manager is ready to defend his ace (and his beleaguered receiver) after this particularly difficult exit should not be forgotten.

"For him, it's all about having a good groove with all his terrain, having good shape on his slider, then locating and controlling his fastball," Boone said of Severino. "If he does, he realizes that he's obviously able, like the league's elite pitchers, to shut down whoever."

"And although he has had some ups and downs in the second half of the season, I really think he understands it."

Still, those next two starts – one in Tampa Bay next week and another next weekend in Boston – will be crucial for Severino. If he can prove that he is on the right track after his last two outings, he will have explained why he is the man the Yankees need for the first playoff playoff game.

But do not forget that Severino had already had a chance.

While the Yankees finally won last year 's wild card match against the Twins, Severino did not perform well. It lasted only six batters, giving up three runs, allowing four hits and getting only one in the first inning. The pen was forced to come to the rescue.

In a game where there is so much at stake, many throwers can be used again – no matter who makes the first pitch.

Tanaka of great time?

Since the beginning of September, Masahiro Tanaka was the best starter of the Yankees.

Before his departure Thursday, he had allowed only one point in his last 21 innings. The way he was at the start was reminiscent of the last playoffs, when the right-hander only allowed two runs on 20 innings in his three starts at ALDS and ALCS.

Even though these outings were recalled, Tanaka took a step back Thursday. He failed to come out of the fifth inning in an 11-6 loss to the Red Sox, giving him eight hits, five points and a home run. It was the first homer he had allowed in five starts.

However, despite the difficult start, Boone will keep Tanaka in the discussion for his coming into play.

"We have so much confidence in Masa, especially in close-ups," Boone said Thursday. "So we hope that our decision will be taken by force, we decide on many good options.

"It does not make me think he will not play a big role in a game game."

Much of the reason why Tanaka has carved out a reputation as a great game pitcher comes from his performance in the playoffs last year. When the Yankees needed a win after their 2-0 loss to Cleveland in the ALDS, it was Tanaka's seven innings in the third game that saw them win a decisive victory.

Ten days later, he made seven more victories in an ALCS victory over Game 5, with New York moving away from a game in the World Series. In the end, the Yankees lost games 6 and 7.

Should the Yankees start Tanaka's big game in the playing card game?

One of the reasons he could not get the ball that night could be related to the current configuration of the rotation. At present, Tanaka is online to make two more starts, including the regular season finale in Boston. If he plays this Sunday, Tanaka will only have two days off before Wednesday's match.

Of course, the rotation could change before the last series of the regular season. And even if it is not, the Yankees might consider the game of wild cards as a backhand game, using their entry to throw only a few rounds, depending on their feelings and their rates.

If Tanaka's rest plays a role in the Yankees' decision, it could still be an option to start the first match of the ALDS. Part of New York's deliberations will include the weighting of the starter he wants to save for this round.

"You have to find a little balance there," said Boone. "But the most important thing is this game, and you will do everything you can to win this game."

"But for the most part, you're going to pour all you can into this game without a tomorrow."

A Happ for that?

It's been two years since J.A. Happ started a post-season game. After facing two high-ranking players in Toronto in exchange for Happ in July, the Yankees are hoping to make several starts this year.

Can the first of them enter the game of wild-cards?

This seems quite possible.

When it's time to rest, Happ aligns perfectly. After participating in the first game of the regular season in Boston on the last Friday of the month, the day of shooting of Happ would be the following Wednesday; the date of the wild game.

Then there is that. As unstable as Severino and Tanaka have been since July, Happ has been considerably more consistent.

Since arriving in New York on July 26, the southpaw is undefeated. Out of nine starts in scrum, Happ is 6-0 with an ERA of 2.39. He has not lost a match at Yankee Stadium since 2014, going 7-0 in this sequence.

This last statistic could be important, but only if the Yankees maintain their lead in the Wild-card ranking. With only 1½ games on Oakland (technically 2½ since they own the tie-break), this advance is slim. New York also leads the Rays suddenly booming – a team she's been visiting for four games since Monday – in six and a half games.

If the Yankees can keep their lead, the very important match of October 3 will take place in the precincts of Yankee Stadium, the same place where Happ well behaved.