With both teams lining their aces up for Game 1, offense may be hard to come by. However, Aaron Boone is making tough decisions in order to maximize the Yankees’ chances of winning. With Fried on the mound, Boone has announced that Austin Wells will catch on Tuesday. He added that Paul Goldschmidt is likely to start at first base against Crochet.
Wells and Goldschmidt starting would mean Ben Rice will start the game on the bench. Rice has the third-highest OPS on the team, but has not played well against left-handed pitching. He has just a .208 average and a .752 OPS against southpaws. Boone noted that he has not made a final decision about who will play first base, but made it clear that Goldschmidt will “probably” be there on Tuesday.
Crochet is one of the best pitchers in the sport and has made four starts this season against the Yankees. He has a 3.29 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. He also has 39 strikeouts. Crochet has dominated against left-handed hitters this season, playing into the team’s decision to likely start Goldschmidt at first base.
Goldschmidt has hit .336 with a .981 OPS against southpaws this season. He also has a pair of hits and a walk against Crochet this season. The real question for the Yankees was whether to start Wells or Rice behind the dish.
Rice has been much better offensively this season, and both have struggled against southpaws. Neither has great numbers against Crochet either. However, the decision likely came down to Fried’s comfort level at catcher.
Wells has caught Fried 27 times this season, as opposed to just once for Rice. Sending Rice out to catch Fried for just the second time could prevent Fried from dominating, which is not a risk the Yankees likely want to take. Rice has been a great player for the Yankees’ offense, but the Yankees will essentially be forced to keep him on the bench to start the game.
Leaving Rice’s bat out of the lineup is a tough blow. However, Goldschmidt has dominated lefties and deserves to draw the start at first base. The Yankees will need Wells to step up offensively since the Yankees are having to bench Rice to start him at catcher.
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