The New York Yankees are in a heated battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League East playoffs as a one-off playoff game is a very realistic possibility. That puts the Yankees in a tough spot. For the entire season, the team's pitching has come under a microscope due to injuries and inconsistencies. So who would the Yankees start if they had to compete in a one-game playoff? Masahiro Tanaka might be the only option.
According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN, Tanaka is the only option for the Yankees simply by default. Luis Severino has slumped in his last two starts. Nathan Eovaldi has been shut down for the remainder of the regular season due to inflammation in his right elbow. CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova have simply not been consistent enough to count on. That leaves Tanaka as the default option and considering his last two starts, he is certainly not a bad one. According to manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees will not limited Tanaka down the stretch like the Mets are doing with Matt Harvey considering the division title is still up for grabs.
"No, absolutely not," Girardi said, via ESPN.com. "There's still too much baseball to be played. For me, we need to keep our foot on the gas and do everything we can to win the division because like I said, you do not want to be in a one-game playoff, you don't, if you can avoid it."
Losing players like Eovaldi for the rest of the regular season along with Mark Teixeira for the remainder of the year, the Yankees are pressured to make do with what they have. That has been the storyline since the team opted to not make any moves at the trade or waiver deadlines. The Yankees are pushing depth and youth. Severino will need to step back up and improve after two down games. Rob Refsnyder and Greg Bird become very important down the stretch. Adam Warren will be stepping back into the starting rotation as he can now fight for a playoff spot.
"Well, it's not what you want this time of year," Girardi said, via ESPN.com. "It's something that we've had to overcome this year, guys have had to step up and we're going to need someone to step up. I think you gotta see what you got when you get to Thursday and make some decisions then."
