When the architects of the 2016 New York Yankees fall asleep at night, they probably dream about ballgames playing out exactly as they did last night at Progressive Field.
Coax five or six innings of mediocre starting pitching from their wobbly rotation, plate five or six runs at some point during the first six innings, and then hand the game over to the three-headed Cerberus at the back end of their bullpen. Yankees executives must have had a restful night last night.
Unfortunately, for the Yankees that is, the formula hasn’t worked well enough to produce a winning record this season, though the Yankees are on the precipice at 42-43 after a 5-4 victory at Progressive Field in Thursday’s opening salvo of a four game weekend set.
Tonight’s game features an unlikely pair on the mound with Indians’ All-Star Corey Kluber (8-8, 3.79) facing 25-year-old rookie right-hander Chad Green (1-1, 4.09) in his third Major League start. If I only had clubhouse access perhaps I’d ask Green, who hails from Effingham, IL, for his take on the Ben Folds song inspired by his hometown.
First pitch on this warm and muggy evening should be at 7:10pm ET. Lineups below:
