Weird A’s strategy: Wild Card Baseball: Oakland @ Yankees

The Yankees, who finished 7 games behind the Red Sox for the AL East, now must play the A’s in a winner take all game at Yankee Stadium.

The two teams finished only 3 games apart with the Yanks tallying 100 wins and the A’s 97, however they enter this game with completely different strategies.

The Yankees will start 19 game winner Luis Severino for the second straight year in the Wild card game. Severino was down 3-0 in last year’s game after only one out against the Twinkies before getting the hook and the Bombers rallying for the win 8-4.

Oakland, however will be using the Tampa Bay Rays strategy of starting a middle reliever and using him for only an inning or so. An “Opener” will then give way to successive relievers and starters over the course of the nine innings. The advantage being that it does not give the Yankee hitters a chance to “figure out” the pitcher by the second or third at-bat. Never before has this been done in the MLB playoffs.

Liam Hendricks, who has zero wins this season gets the one or one plus inning start for the A’s. Oakland employed this strategy in September nine times for a 4-5 record. This is going to be incredibly annoying to watch all these pitching changes with all the stoppage of momentum and commercials.

Severino struggled in the second half of the year going 5-6 after his 14-2 start but Aaron Boone is relying on the season and previous year’s overall success in giving him the start over the inconsistent Tanaka and the Blue Jay import JA Happ. These two guys will be ready at a moment’s notice if Severino struggles early.

Both lineups are dangerous with Khris Davis leading Oakland and the majors with 48 HRs and sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge primed for the playoffs for the Yanks. This’ll be Stanton’s first playoff game. The low payroll A’s are going to be loose as they really have nothing to lose here after a great season.

The A’s finished the season 63-29 after a mediocre start and the Yankees cruised to a 38 games over .500 finish as they had no chance to win the division and no real chance to be caught for the Wild Card. The teams split their six meeting during the season.

Although not many people can name too many players in Oakland’s lineup, the A’s still present a tough challenge, they have overcome a low salary cap to forge themselves into this spot. In do think however, that this strategy will backfire on them and that the Yankees will score runs early and often. Severino won’t have the same jitters as last year and giving the Yanks the quality start we know he has in him, he’ll give way to some combination of Chad Green, Robertson, Betances, Chapman, and Britton. The bullpen for the Bombers is far superior to the rags the A’s are going to throw out there. Look for super rookies Andujar and Torres to tally some big hits leading to one or more crooked numbers and have something to say about the outcome. The Yankees will have to not press and just play their game and keep the pesky A’s in check.

The winner travels to Boston to play the 107-52 Red Sox, favorites to win it all. Sale and Price will be rested and waiting for whoever emerges from this game and they are going to be tough to beat with 3 out of 5 at home.

 -HB