New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Luke Weaver vs. Brandon Pfaadt

Yesterday, Gerrit Cole authored an eight-inning gem to avoid getting swept by the Blue Jays and to further his case as the AL Cy Young frontrunner. It sets the team up well for their final home series of the season: three games hosting the Diamondbacks. Luke Weaver is on the mound for his second Yankee start so let’s see what to expect.

The Yankees claimed Weaver off waivers ten days ago, two days after being DFA’d by the Mariners. He actually pitched for the D’Backs from 2019 until being traded to the Royals in 2022, going 9-19 in 49 appearances (38 starts) with a 4.72 ERA, 3.91 FIP, and 205 strikeouts in 198.1 innings. He gave up three runs on four hits against the Pirates in his Yankees debut, a game which Alex analyzed earlier this week. In 27 appearances (23 starts) between the Reds, Mariners, and Yankees this year, Weaver is 2-5 with a 6.77 ERA (68 ERA+), 5.71 FIP, and 100 strikeouts in 114.1 innings.

Brandon Pfaadt has had an up-and-down season since his debut on May 3rd. The rookie righty has four starts in which he’s given up one run or less across at least five innings but also four starts in which he’s surrendered six or more runs. Statcast has a pretty polarized reaction to his arsenal when it comes to run value — his changeup grades out as the second-worst in baseball while his mid-90s four-seamer is only a smidge better at 20th-worst; however, his sweeper places comfortably in the top 10. In 17 appearances (16 starts), Pfaadt is 2-8 with a 5.86 ERA (74 ERA+), 5.48 FIP, and 78 strikeouts in 86 innings.

The Yankees make three changes to the lineup that eked out a sweep-averting win last night. Giancarlo Stanton comes in to DH, moving Aaron Judge to right field, Jake Bauers to right and DJ LeMahieu to the bench. Oswald Peraza replaces Isiah Kiner-Falefa at third and Austin Wells takes over for Ben Rortvedt behind the plate.

The Diamondbacks hold a two-game lead for the second NL Wild Card spot, but with the Cubs, Marlins and Reds all within a half-game of each other for the final WC berth, the Yankees can play spoiler with a strong final home series. Corbin Carroll holds a commanding lead in the NL Rookie of the Year race with his 25 home runs, 50 stolen bases, 135 wRC+ and 5.7 fWAR — he’ll lead off. Behind him, the Arizona lineup is a patchwork of franchise cornerstones (Ketel Marte and Christian Walker), veteran trade acquisitions (Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) and faces for the future (Alek Thomas, Gabriel Moreno, Geraldo Perdomo).

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES — NYY / Arizona Diamondbacks — ARI

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280

Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

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