5 big playoff worries for Bombers fans

SO NOW it’s onto the playoffs for these Yankees, their surprisingly excellent campaign propelling them forward in an exciting new era for this franchise, and …

… You’re terrified about Tuesday night, aren’t you? Can’t even bear to watch it on TV? Not ready to invest emotionally in a 2017 championship run? Understood. Baseball’s wild-card game is a uniquely cruel animal, 162 games of grind slamming on the brakes and turning the hardest of lefts into an immediate do-ordie moment. The Yankees obviously should beat the Twins to advance to the American League Division Series. They’re the superior team, with 91 wins to Minnesota’s 85. They own the homefield advantage. However, as Chase Headley said Sunday, following the Yankees’ regular-season-concluding 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium: “Baseball is not meant to be played in one-game segments.” Hence the anxiety. Let’s approach that anxiety head on and look at what most likely could lead to the Yankees’ season dying on the October vine. In order, here’s what should cause you to toss and turn: 1. Ervin Santana. “They have a starting pitcher that has pitched extremely well this year like our starting pitcher in [Luis] Severino,” Joe Girardi said Sunday. “I think it’s a great matchup.” Look, you’d rather have Severino than Santana. Yet you’d rather have Santana than plenty of others. The 34-year-old put up a 2.83 ERA with 19 strikeouts and three walks in his most recent five starts, totalingng 28 2//3 innings. That gave him a 3.28 ERARA forfor the season. If he won’t strike fear in the Yankees’’ hearts like Houston’s Dallasallas Keuchel did two yearss ago, he cer-certainly is capableable of end-ending the Yankees’kees’ season as Keuchel did two years ago. 2. The Twins lineup. Particularlyrticularly its balance.e. The most likely Minne-Minnesota startingg nine Tuesday willill fea-feature four leftyfty hit-hitters, three switchwitch hit-hitters and twoo righty swingers. There-Therefore, it shouldn’tuldn’t surprise youu that the Twins hit righties (a .777 OPS enteringing Sunday’s ac-ac-

tion) better than southpaws (.743).

The Yankees are starting the righthanded Severino, and their most important setup men (Dellin Betances, Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson and Adam Warren) throw righty leading up to lefty closer Aroldis Chapman, although all besides Kahnle generally fare well against lefty hitters.

And on the bench, the Twins figure to have the dangerous All-Star Miguel Sano, a righty hitter, who just returned from the disabled list. 3. Gary San

chez’s defense. It’s a simple calculation, right? The positives of Sanchez’s right arm, his harmony with Severino and — most meaningful — his bat outweigh the negative of his glove woes. Sanchez should start behind the plate. But what if Severino is off his game and Santana builds on the career 0-for-3 he has on Sanchez? Then what if Sanchez adds to his regular-season totals of 16 passed balls (tied with the Dodgers’ Yasmani Grandal for the most in baseball) and 53 wild pitches (second-most in baseball)? By most measures (stolen bases, bases taken), the Twins rank among the upper half of the industry in base running.

4. Bullpen control. We know the Yankees relievers can throw gas. Their 10.92 strikeoutsuts per nine in-in- nings give them the best rate in the American League, as per FanGraphs. That smoke sometimes goes awry. Their 3.76 walks per nine give them the most of any AL playoff team. When you put a runner on base, all it takes is a bad hop, or a defensive miscue, and it’s just one game …

5. The favorite status. The Yankees put together such an impressive season — they seem like such a bona fide threat this month against the Indians, Astros and Red Sox — that it would be a huge letdown to wrap things up Tuesday night. Whereas the Twins’ arrival here is more of a dizzying aberration. They can sell their fan base on progress no matter what goes down Tuesday. Will that compel the Yankees young-youngsters to presss?