Yankees playoff rotation still in flux — and Cam Schlittler may not start Game 1
Cam Schlittler made his final start of the regular season Thursday night.
Will his next be in Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday?
The Yankees aren’t saying and insist they haven’t decided on their postseason rotation with less than a week to go before the playoffs start.
Before a 6-4 comeback victory over the Rays at the Stadium, pitching coach Matt Blake said that Max Fried is in “heavy consideration” to pitch Game 1 on Tuesday, while Schlittler — who threw 70 pitches in an intentionally abbreviated outing against Tampa Bay — was also in the mix.
And Gerrit Cole, according to Blake, isn’t guaranteed a start in the wild-card series.
With Schlittler and Fried seemingly locked in to a start, Blake said Game 3 would go to Cole or Carlos Rodón.
“Both guys have pitched well down the stretch,’’ Blake said of Cole and Rodón. “All four guys are good options. It’s just a matter of making sure we check in, see where they’re at and finding the best fit for whoever we play.”
Their opponent is still undetermined, as Boston was unable to clinch the fifth spot in the American League after losing to Cleveland on Thursday.
Regardless of who the Yankees end up playing, part of the equation with the rotation will be rest, since Schlittler would be pitching on his fifth day if he went in Game 1 on Tuesday in The Bronx.
Cole, another option, would be on his sixth day, while Fried — as well as Rodón — would be on his seventh day.
Asked if they could be overthinking the situation by not just naming Schlittler the Game 1 starter after his Cy Young-worthy season, Blake said, “Certainly.”
Schlittler finished his first full year in the majors with an AL-best 1.95 ERA, as well as 239 strikeouts.
The ERA is third best in franchise history, trailing only Spud Chandler (1.64 in 1943) and Ron Guidry (1.74 in 1978).
“He’s earned the right to pitch Game 1,’’ Blake said prior to Schlittler’s final outing, in which he allowed two runs, one earned, in a meaningless game. “We’re taking inventory of all our starters and giving us the best chance to advance in the three-game series.”
And that could leave Cole out and ready for a potential ALDS matchup against the Rays.
“If we don’t have him as one of our three starters or out of the pen, he’d be available for [ALDS],’’ Blake said. “I don’t know where we’d go.”
Blake said they could go with all four starters on the wild-card roster, understanding the challenges of putting those pitchers in an unfamiliar role.
“Any of those guys that haven’t pitched out of the pen in a while, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a clear plan for them and they understand what role they’ll be in because you probably get one shot if we use one of these starters out of the pen,’’ Blake said. “They’re not gonna pitch two games [in the series].”