Boone, Yanks plan for possible rainout
You may want to hold off on making those dinner plans for Wednesday night. Despite the fact that every forecast makes it look impossible for the Yankees and Astros to get Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in because of expected heavy rain, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said they are officially going to wait and see.
“We’re watching the forecast. We’re mindful of two things. We don’t want to affect the competitive complexion of the series. We want to be mindful of our fans, who’ve got to get out, we don’t want to bring them here if we know we’re not going to be able to play,” Manfred said on the field before Game 3 Tuesday. “Too early to tell what’s going to happen.”
The commissioner ended the session with reporters there, unable to predict the future, but Aaron Boone wasn’t optimistic. The Yankees manager said that the weather would possibly play a part in his decision on who will start Game 4.
If the game is rained out and pushed back to Thursday, Masahiro Tanaka would be on regular rest and therefore in consideration for the start. Right now, the Yankees are scheduled to go with a bullpen day.
If the game is postponed to Thursday, the Yankees would possibly play three days in a row. All season, they have been careful to limit their bullpen usage and never used their high-leverage guys three days in a row.
If the schedule is changed, however, that rule is out the window for the playoffs.
“No, that would always be in play. I mean, how they’re doing matters, so there’s a chance that you know you could use a guy a lot in the game and maybe he’s not available the next day or a lot in two games and not available,” Boone said. “But it would be totally open if they’re sound that three days is a possibility.”
ENCARNACION STRUGGLING
Edwin Encarnacion was back in the lineup Tuesday despite a disappointing weekend in Houston. The veteran slugger, who went 4-for-13 in the division series, went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in 10 plate appearances in the first two games of this series. Boone shrugged that off before Tuesday’s game, when Encarnacion went 1 for 4 with a double and two men left on base.
“Two games. He’s a great hitter that can wreck a game in a hurry. So he hasn’t got a couple hits, he’s been pitched pretty tough against elite pitching,” Boone said. “So those are going to happen in the postseason. He’s got a couple of walks in both games so you know it’s just a matter of when you get a pitch, taking advantage and those are little fewer and far between this time of year. I’m confident in his ability to go out there and have his level of at-bat.”
Encarnacion missed 30 games with a broken wrist, returned to play eight before straining his oblique Sept. 12. He did not return until the division series. Boone said the oblique is not an issue.
“He’s swung through some pitches when he has gotten a decent pitch, he swung through but I think they’ve also pitched him pretty tough, but he’s a great hitter and it’s two games,” Boone said. “It’s going to happen in the playoffs when you run up against tough pitching. there’s going to be a guy that has an off game. I understand that everything’s magnified but it is baseball and hitting, there’s a lot of failure that goes with it.”