NEW YORK – The Yankees have a couple of days left on the schedule, but the ones that will determine how this season is judged won’t happen until next week. Everything that transpires between now and then is simply preparation for the American League Wild Card Series.
With their upcoming Wild Card matchup against the Red Sox officially locked in, the Yankees crossed off another 18 innings of regular-season action on Friday, securing a split of a single-admission doubleheader with a 6-3 victory over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
Boston’s victory over the Cubs in Game 1 of their doubleheader secured the No. 5 seed and confirmed a matchup with the Yankees, who claimed the No. 4 seed. It will be an exact rematch of last year’s AL Wild Card Series, which the Yankees won in three games.
“I’d much rather have it here. I want it in the Bronx,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I want it with our fans. I think there’s certainly that advantage.”
Bouncing back after they followed CC Sabathia’s Monument Park enshrinement with a 10-2 loss, Ryan McMahon, Spencer Jones, Anthony Volpe, Heliot Ramos and Luis García Jr. all drove in runs for the Yankees, who logged an encouraging 3 2/3-inning relief outing from Will Warren.
The Yankees have yet to announce who will start Tuesday’s AL Wild Card Game against the Red Sox, with pitching coach Matt Blake saying that they are weighing Max Fried on extra rest against AL Cy Young Award frontrunner Cam Schlittler, who would be on normal rest for the opener.
But with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón also in line as potential playoff starters, Warren is slated to transition to a bullpen role in October. Not surprisingly, Warren’s stuff played up out of the bullpen, including a four-seam fastball that averaged 94.5 mph – 0.8 mph more than his season average. Warren permitted three hits without a walk, striking out seven.
McMahon opened the scoring with a fifth-inning RBI double off Orioles starter Brandon Young, who worked five frames. Jones touched Josh Walker for a sixth-inning RBI single, and Volpe found the seats for a two-run ground-rule double facing Anthony Nunez later that inning.
Ramos and García each had an RBI single in the seventh.