Last night's rainout gave the Yankees their first day off in two weeks, but their reward is a day/night doubleheader today. Thankfully, they already clinched the Wild Card, and manager Joe Girardi has said that he will put a higher priority on health and giving his regulars some much-needed rest over trying to win home field advantage. All they need to do to ensure that the Wild Card playoff game is at Yankee Stadium is win just once against the O's, or to see the Astros lose once to the Diamondbacks.
The matinee's lineup isn't exactly imposing, but hey, maybe they will do the job against Wei-Yin Chen, who could be making his last start in an Orioles uniform after four solid years. The bottom of the lineup is truly something to behold. I totally expect first baseman Austin Romine (!) and right fielder Jose Pirela (!!) to come up with the game-winning hits.
The day game starts at 12:05pm, and after it ends, the two teams will reconvene at 7:05pm. There will be another game thread for the nightcap, so stay tuned. You can watch today's game on YES, MASN, or FO' FREE on MLB.tv.
go Yankees, go baseball, go away Joaquin