The 2024 MLB postseason continues Monday with a pair of Game 2s within the American League Division Series: Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers within the afternoon recreation at Progressive Field, then Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees within the nightcap at Yankee Stadium. The Guardians and Yankees gained Game 1 and have a 1-0 lead within the best-of-five collection.
Since divisional play started in 1995, the winner of Game 1 has gained 84 of 116 best-of-five postseason collection, or 72%. The stakes are excessive Monday night time. The Tigers and Royals can ill-afford to fall behind 0-2 to the Yankees and Guardians, who completed with the AL's two finest information in the course of the common season. Game 2 isn't a literal should win for Detroit and Kansas City, nevertheless it's shut.
With that in thoughts, right here now could be one query for every crew heading into Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday.
Yankees: Will Judge get off the postseason schneid?
Aaron Judge, the doubtless AL MVP, went 0 for 4 with a stroll and three strikeouts in Game 1, and in a method, that is encouraging. Judge did not do something on the plate and Gerrit Cole had a so-so begin at finest (4 runs in 5 innings), but the Yankees gained anyway. Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto every reached base thrice, Alex Verdugo had the game-winning hit, and demoted nearer Clay Holmes acquired 5 necessary outs within the center innings. The remainder of the Yankees picked up their captain.
That stated, the Yankees want Aaron Judge to be Aaron Judge to get to the place they need to go, which is a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Dating again to the common season, Judge has struck out in eight of his final 10 plate appearances, however he additionally had a five-game residence run streak instantly previous to that. After clinching the AL East, the Yankees rested Judge twice in the course of the common season's closing weekend, then that they had the Wild Card Series bye. He's performed two video games within the final 10 days.
Perhaps then Game 1 was merely Judge shaking off the rust. His profession postseason document is lower than sterling nonetheless — .206/.307/.451 with 13 homers and 69 strikeouts in 45 video games, which is not unhealthy, however actually is not common season Aaron Judge — so the Yankees are nonetheless ready for their franchise participant to have his breakout October. In Game 2 particularly, they will want Judge to have an effect towards Royals starter Cole Ragans, one of many prime lefties within the recreation and one of many prime starters interval.
The Yankees went 21-23 towards left-handed starters in the course of the common season though Soto hits lefties simply in addition to he hits righties, and Judge was one of many sport's most dominant hitters towards southpaws. Here's the place Judge ranked among the many 95 hitters with a minimum of 150 plate appearances towards lefties:
- Batting common: .311 (twelfth — Jose Altuve was first at .370)
- On-base share: .505 (1st — David Fry was second at .430)
- Slugging share: .725 (2nd — Tyler O'Neill was first at .750)
- Home runs: 16 (2nd — Ketel Marte was first with 18)
The Yankees managed to win Game 1 with out Judge contributing. It's arduous to see them doing the identical in Game 2. Ragans is just too good and the remainder of New York's non-Soto lineup was too unhealthy towards lefties in 2024. Judge does not essentially want a signature second in Game 2. He merely must contribute.
Royals: Can they clear up Rodón?
Good information for the Royals: The Yankees went 21-23 towards left-handed starters in the course of the common season and the Royals could have Ragans, their ace lefty, on the mound in Game 2. Bad information for the Royals: They went 16-21 towards lefty starters in the course of the common season and can face lefty Carlos Rodón in Game 2. Rodón completed the common season very nicely, pitching to a 2.91 ERA and putting out 30.0% of batters confronted in 12 second-half begins.
Kansas City's offense was shockingly unhealthy towards left-handed pitching this season and I say shockingly as a result of their lineup is anchored by Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez, two righty hitters with big-time energy. Here's the place the Royals ranked among the many 30 groups towards lefty pitchers in 2024:
- Batting common: .243 (seventeenth)
- On-base share: .293 (twenty eighth)
- Slugging share: .379 (twenty third)
- Home runs: 33 (twenty fifth)
Perez hit 9 of these 33 residence runs (Witt had 4). Also, the Royals have been one way or the other even worse towards lefties in September: .163/.214/.226 (!). That's regardless of including veteran righty bats Tommy Pham and Yuli Gurriel simply before the Aug. 31 postseason roster eligibility deadline. As good as they have been in 2024, the Royals have been vulnerable to southpaws.
Rodón is home-run inclined. He gave up 31 dingers this yr, together with one each 5 innings or so at Yankee Stadium, the place Game 2 shall be performed. Home runs are often how he will get beat. Rodón does not stroll many nor does he hand over many base hits normally. Your finest probability towards him is hitting the ball out of the park and the Royals, apart from Perez and Witt, aren't actually geared up to do this towards lefties. It's not their recreation. On paper, Rodón is a foul matchup for Kansas City.
To even the ALDS at one win apiece, the Royals want an important begin from Ragans, at first, they usually additionally want to determine a technique to scratch out runs towards Rodón. They should overcome their season-long points with lefties and positively do higher towards Rodón in Game 2 than they did towards southpaws in September.
Guardians: Can Boyd match Skubal?
With rotation depth an apparent want at midseason, the Guardians picked up two pitchers who'd spent your entire season on the injured listing as much as that time: Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb. Cobb came to visit from the San Francisco Giants in a deadline deal and made three begins for Cleveland round extra accidents down the stretch. He is wholesome now and on the ALDS roster.
Boyd, in the meantime, signed with the Guardians as a free agent on June 29, as he was nearing the tip of his Tommy John surgical procedure rehab. He made his season debut on Aug. 13 and pitched to a 2.72 ERA whereas putting out 27.7% of the batters he confronted in eight begins down the stretch. Boyd will begin Game 2 on Monday and shall be opposed by Tarik Skubal, the doubtless AL Cy Young winner, and an in depth buddy from their time as teammates in Detroit.
“He invited me over for my first dinner in the big leagues because it was COVID so we couldn't go out to dinner, and we probably weren't supposed to be in each other's rooms,” Skubal stated Saturday. “He had dinner for us. He's a great mentor and leader. I'm still really close with him to this day. Him and his family are special people. It's going to be fun.”
Boyd limped to the end a bit, permitting 9 runs in 11 innings in his closing three begins, and his velocity petered out a bit, moreso on the highest finish than on common. His final begin was Sept. 21, so, with a bit of luck, the Wild Card Series bye and lengthy break will give Boyd a second wind going into his Game 2 begin. There's at all times that postseason adrenaline too. More than a number of pitchers have thrown their quickest pitches of 2024 in October. Perhaps that offers Boyd a lift as nicely.
Skubal is great and one of the best ways to beat him is to beat the bullpen. Dig in and grind out at-bats, increase his pitch rely, then go to work on the bullpen as soon as Skubal is out of the sport. For that to work, Boyd has to match Skubal and shut down the Detroit lineup. He didn't face the Tigers in the course of the common season and solely Tigers participant, Riley Greene, has confronted Boyd beforehand. Boyd could have the component of shock on his aspect as he tries to beat his pal.
Tigers: Will the offense have a breakout recreation?
No crew was hotter on the finish of the common season than the Tigers, who gained 31 of their closing 44 video games to sneak into the postseason because the third wild-card crew. They did that largely on run prevention. Detroit allowed solely 134 runs in these 44 video games, or 3.05 per recreation. Twenty-one instances in these 44 video games, they allowed not more than two runs. The Tigers have been a run-prevention powerhouse down the stretch.
The offense although, nicely, to illustrate it did simply sufficient. The Tigers scored 196 runs in these 44 video games, or 4.45 per recreation, which was nearly precisely league common. Nineteen instances in these 44 video games, the Tigers scored three or fewer runs. They smothered the opposing crew with Skubal, bullpen video games, and a sneaky nice protection, and scratched out simply sufficient runs to get the win. The two-game Wild Card Series sweep of the Houston Astros was extra of the identical:
- Game 1: DET 3, HOU 1 (all three runs scored on three consecutive singles within the second inning)
- Game 2: DET 5, HOU 2 (three of the 5 runs scored on Andy Ibáñez's bases-clearing double within the eighth)
The Tigers have been shut out by Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland bullpen in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday. Detroit has scored eight runs in three postseason video games, together with a three-run inning in Game 1 and a four-run inning in Game 2 towards the Astros. They've had 27 innings on offense and have scored in solely three of them. Timely hitting has gotten the Tigers right here and hey, credit score to them. An absence of well timed hitting has despatched loads of groups residence already. At some level, although, the offense wants to interrupt although.
Greene, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Torkelson, and Matt Vierling are a mixed 5 for 42 (.119) with 20 strikeouts this postseason and sheesh, that is tough. Ibáñez (2 for 4 with two doubles), Parker Meadows (3 for 12 with Detroit's solely homer), and Zach McKinstry (2 for 5 with two doubles) have been the brilliant spots on offense. Again, Greene is simply Tigers hitter who's confronted Boyd beforehand. Detroit wants its offense to have a breakout recreation, and the hitters should do it towards a pitcher they're unfamiliar with.
