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FanGraphs | Brendan Gawlowski: It’s been mentioned ad nauseum across all stages of the ALDS coverage, but I can’t help myself; the Yankees now own a 13-game winning streak against the Minnesota Twins in postseason play. While many things had to go in the Yankees’ favor for such a streak to continue, the Yankees sure made it feel like the Twins were fated to lose this ALDS. However, as Gawlowski notes here, there were a few worrying signs from the final game, such as Luis Severino’s inconsistent secondary offerings, Zack Britton taken deep by a lefty and exiting with an injury, and Adam Ottavino having another shaky outing. While the Yankees have looked good on the whole, it’s still too early to get cocky.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: As the Yankees move on to the ALCS, many questions come to mind. Among them, for example, are, “Will there be any roster changes?”, “How will the lineups and rotation be set up?”, and “Where can I watch the games in the first place?”. Hoch provides answers both definitive and speculative for these questions and more.
New York Daily News | Kristie Ackert: As mentioned before, Zack Britton exited Game Three with an ankle injury, further cementing 2019’s place among Yankee fans’ hearts as a snake-bitten year in terms of health. Fortunately, Britton himself seems not to be overly concerned with the injury going forward, claiming that his early exit was a proactive measure given the gravity of the circumstances. In other injury news, Aroldis Chapman apparently injured his throwing hand during the team’s clubhouse celebration. You really can’t make these things up, folks.
NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Aaron Hicks has been MIA for some time now, but the center fielder claims that he’s now ready to play and rejoin the Yankees in the ALCS. The question is, do the Yankees have room for him? Brett Gardner is playing reasonably well in Hicks’ stead, and if the Yankees want to keep Gardner in the lineup, they have to move one of Giancarlo Stanton and Edwin Encarnacion to the bench. Moreover, the Yankees probably can’t afford to use postseason games to get Hicks up to speed. Then again, provided that Hicks is actually healthy and moving well, his patience and defense could be a great addition to the club. Decisions, decisions.