New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox: Luis Severino vs. Lance Lynn

Historically poor air quality conditions in the Northeast forced MLB to postpone yesterday’s contest against the White Sox, meaning the Yankees will play back-to-back games this afternoon to decide the winner of the series. With Aaron Judge on the IL with a toe contusion/sprain, perhaps the added rest day is just what the depleted offense needs — they sure looked far off the pace in the series opener, getting no-hit by Lucas Giolito into until the Chicago bullpen lost it in the seventh inning. In fact, both offense and starting pitcher will be looking to bounce back from disappointing performances in their respective most recent outings.

Luis Severino was cruising in his return from injury, limiting the opposition to two earned runs in his first two starts totaling 11.1 innings. That is, until he was halted in his tracks by a Dodgers offense that torched him for six runs on eight hits including home runs from Mookie Betts and Max Muncy. His average fastball velocity was almost two-and-a-half mph slower than in his first two starts, so that will certainly be something to keep an eye on as the outing unfolds. In three starts, Severino has a 5.28 ERA (82 ERA+), 6.09 FIP, and 12:5 strikeout to walk ratio in 15.1 innings.

Old friend Lance Lynn makes his fourth start against the Yankees since his up-and-down stint in the Bronx in 2018. Across the previous three encounters, Lynn has allowed eight earned runs in 17.1 innings (4.15 ERA), striking out 24 while walking six. The 36-year-old righty appears to be finally feeling the weight of his years, allowing a career-worst two home runs per nine with a fastball that now averages below 93 mph. He is still striking out over a quarters of the hitters he face, so it’s certainly not a task the Yankees lineup should take lightly. In 12 starts, Lynn is 4-6 with a 6.55 ERA (67 ERA+), 5.25 FIP, and 76 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.

With Judge and Bader on the shelf, the Yankees lineup bears resemblance to one you might see on the last week of spring training. Willie Calhoun bats leadoff for the first time since 2021 with the Rangers while Billy McKinney makes his first appearance for the Yankees since his MLB debut season in 2018. Anthony Volpe, Josh Donaldson, and Jose Trevino all get the first game off — Oswaldo Cabrera will play short and DJ LeMahieu third with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate.

On paper, a quintet of Tim Anderson, Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jiménez, and Yoán Moncada should give any pitcher fits. However, practically all of the White Sox lineup outside of Robert has underperformed through the first two-plus months of the season, with only their center fielder producing at a rate appreciably higher than league average. All the same, Severino will need to be sharp to have success against what is still a gauntlet of professional hitters.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 4:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES – NYY / NBC Sports Chicago - CWS

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv

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