Yankees Face Surprisingly Tough Challenge Against Tigers Despite Expectations

Ever wonder why the schedulers seem to have a secret pact to line up playoff preview games like the Tigers facing the Yankees tonight at 7:05 ET? Honestly, it’s like a magnet pulling together teams destined for the postseason, probably because nearly half the league gets a ticket to October. The Tigers, cruising to an American League Central crown but barely sprinting since mid-June, are sending Jack Flaherty to the mound — a guy whose numbers lately read like a rollercoaster with more downs than ups. Meanwhile, the Yankees, shaking off a midseason stumble, look poised to steamroll with Carlos Rodon, who’s been a dependable rock at home. So here’s the itch — can the Tigers surprise despite their lukewarm summer, or will the Yankees just sharpen their claws tonight? It’s a classic clash with a twist — playoff hints draped in regular-season flair. LEARN MORE.

Tigers vs. Yankees, 7:05 ET

I tend to be drawn to the playoff preview type of games. For whatever reason, it seems like there are a lot of games that have matchups between likely or certain playoff teams. I am not sure if that is just luck from the baseball schedulers or maybe it is just that the odds will do that when there are 12 of 30 teams making the postseason. Tonight, we get a matchup between two teams in the American League that are going to make the postseason, the Tigers and the Yankees.

The Tigers are going to win the American League Central, and they’ve basically coasted to the victory this season. The problem is that this team hasn’t been all that spectacular since the middle of June. They’ve been .500 since the All-Star Break, and overall since June 10th. I’m not sure if that is normal, but there have been a lot of teams this season that have been average for months. They will make the postseason, and that’s really all you’re looking to get out of the regular season. It isn’t like you get a trophy for winning the regular season or winning 100 games. However, I think I’ve cooled off on them being a real threat to win, even with some very solid pitching in their rotation. Today, they get Jack Flaherty taking the hill. Flaherty hasn’t had a great season at just 7-13 with a 4.85 ERA, and a 1.30 WHIP. He also has been a full run worse on the road than at home. Last month was a struggle in a lot of starts. He had three where he allowed 2 earned runs in 18.2 innings, and three starts where he allowed 18 earned runs in 14 innings. He did face the Yankees earlier in the season when he was pitching better, going 5.1 scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out nine hitters. 

The Yankees looked for a while like they were going to falter and potentially miss the playoffs, but it now seems like it was a bit of a blip in an otherwise impressive season. I suppose you could look at Aaron Judge as almost an example of how the Yankees season has gone. Judge was batting almost .400 for a good stretch of the season, but then slipped and slumped a bit – at least by his lofty standards. He has since heated up a bit, specifically toward the end of last month and the Yankees started winning consistently again. Today, the Yankees send out Carlos Rodon to the mound. Rodon is 16-7 for the season with a 3.12 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP. His numbers are all top-15 or better, which is exactly what New York expected when signing him before last season. He has been solid at home this season, posting a 2.86 ERA in Yankee Stadium. He is coming off of back-to-back quality starts, and the Yankees have won his past six outings. Rodon did face the Tigers earlier in the year, again back when they were hitting better, and went six innings, allowing five earned runs. 

The Yankees should take this one without much of an issue. Flaherty seems to have fallen off a bit, and it might even be a surprise if he ends up making a postseason start. He probably will, but with his inconsistency, I think we’ll see him with a short leash. I don’t really like the under in this game, because I think Rodon will allow something, and I think Flaherty will allow a few. Instead of taking the juiced moneyline, I’m going to back the run line for the Yankees, I think they win this game with ease. 

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