Live Updates: Yankees and Guardians Battle in Game 5 of A.L.D.S.
The Yankees were set to start Monday’s do-or-die Game 5 with Jameson Taillon on the mound, which was a concern when you recall his disastrous outing as a reliever in Game 2 in which he did not record an out, was charged with two runs and took the loss. But with M.L.B.’s decision to postpone the game until Tuesday, the Yankees have made the switch to Nestor Cortes, their second best starter this season, who is expected to face Cleveland’s Aaron Civale.
Cortes started Game 2 on Friday before Taillon’s major league debut as a reliever, and while he wasn’t up to his usual standards — he allowed two runs on six hits over five innings — he was fairly solid. An All-Star this season, Cortes finished strong despite a career high in innings pitched, going 12-4 with a 2.44 E.R.A.
To this point, the Yankees’ two wins in their division series were both games started by Gerrit Cole. If Cortes can get them through to the American League Championship Series it would only emphasize how much the team relies on those two starters, along with Luis Severino, and how situations where they need a fourth starter could be problematic. Nothing a little rain can’t help though.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/18/sports/yankees-guardians-score