Yankees face early postseason crossroads in ALDS Game 2 as Schlittler starts

The New York Yankees head into Game 2 of the American League Division Series facing an early postseason crossroads.

The Tampa Bay Rays, up 1-0 after a 1-0 win in the opener, will start right-hander Freddy Peralta against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler on Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on TBS and truTV, stream on HBO Max, with a Spanish-language telecast on UniMás and national radio coverage on ESPN Radio.

For New York, the stakes are straightforward. This is a best-of-five series, and a second straight loss would send the Yankees home needing to win two elimination games just to force a decisive Game 5. History shows how much leverage Tampa Bay gained by taking Game 1: Teams that win the opener in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win 116 of 160 times, or 73%. In the Division Series’ 2-2-1 format, clubs that take a 1-0 lead at home have won 42 of 56 series, or 75%.

The pitching matchup gives Game 2 a very different look from the opener. Schlittler, a right-hander MLB’s preview described as New York’s top starter and an AL Cy Young frontrunner, brings especially strong road numbers, including a 1.16 ERA away from home. With Aaron Judge off the Yankees’ ALDS roster because of a right calf strain and Clarke Schmidt ruled out for the rest of the postseason, New York needs length and command from Schlittler to even the series.

Tampa Bay announced Peralta as its Game 2 starter shortly after Game 1. The right-hander has transformed the Rays’ rotation since arriving from the Mets at the trade deadline. He was named AL Pitcher of the Month for September and, over his final six starts entering the ALDS, went 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA.

“Everything changed when I got traded,” Peralta said in a Rays report. “I’ve said it before, I’ve been treated here as a king. I feel really good about it.”

MLB’s projected lineups — not the official starting lineups as of this preview — reflect how much Judge’s absence changes New York’s order.

The Yankees’ projected lineup: Ben Rice at designated hitter, Cody Bellinger in left field, Luis García Jr. at first base, Spencer Jones in right, George Lombard Jr. at shortstop, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, Trent Grisham in center, Austin Wells at catcher and Ryan McMahon at third.

The Rays’ projected lineup: Yandy Díaz at designated hitter, Jonathan Aranda at first, Junior Caminero at third, Liam Hicks at catcher, Chandler Simpson in left, Victor Mesa Jr. in right, Jonny DeLuca in center, Richie Palacios at second and Taylor Walls at shortstop. Shane McClanahan is not on Tampa Bay’s ALDS roster because of forearm tightness.

Game 1 offered little margin for either side. Drew Rasmussen worked eight scoreless innings for Tampa Bay, carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth, before Bryan Baker closed it out. Gerrit Cole took the loss for New York.

“We’re looking forward to Monday,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said via MLB’s preview. “[Game 1] was a great game all around for the pitchers, both sides. So I think we’re going to look forward to continuing that on our side, and hopefully get to their guy.”