Game #148 Preview: Reid-Foley vs Sabathia

The Blue Jays look to put an end to their abysmal play of late in game 2 of their weekend set in the Bronx. Today’s game gets underway at 4:05 ET.

Blue Jays’ Starter

Youngster Sean Reid-Foley makes his 5th start of the season for the Jays. Through his first 4, he is 1-3 with a 6.86 ERA, and this is one of those rare times where the win-loss record is an accurate depiction of his starts. In the game he won, he held the Marlins to 1 run on 4 hits across 7 innings, striking out 10 and walking 1. In the 3 games he lost, he has allowed 17 runs on 18 hits in 14 innings, striking out 12 against 11 walks.

His last outing started out pretty well, and it looked like he was building off the success he had against the Marlins. Through the first 4 innings against Cleveland, he allowed a run on a pair of walks and 3 hits, but worked his way through the 4 innings fairly well. Then the 5th inning came, where he went HR-BB-Flyout-HR-Lineout-BB-BB and that was the end of the night. Justin Shafer came in and allowed the 2 runs Reid-Foley bequeathed to him to score, and Sean’s final line was 6 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks through 4.2 innings. A lot worse of a night than he was having before that dreadful 5th.

Yankees’ Starter

While Reid-Foley just recently celebrated his 23rd birthday, Yankee starter CC Sabathia celebrated his 38th birthday a couple months ago. This feels like the first time in a long time that the Jays boast the young player in a matchup of young vs. old.

Sabathia is having a very strong year, arguably his best since 2012. Through 26 starts, Sabathia is 7-6 with a 3.54 ERA, seeing an uptick in strikeouts to a level he hasn’t been at in a few years, while walking people at his seemingly now-established normal level of walks. He’s no longer the innings eater he used to be, averaging just over 5.1 innings per start this season, a far cry from the days when he would average over 7 innings. And he hasn’t thrown a complete game since 2015.

Sabathia made 3 starts against the Jays earlier this year, holding them to 3 runs on 12 hits over 16.1 innings, holding Jays’ hitters to a .194/.254/.323 line, and this was all before the Jays really got bad.

Blue Jays’ Lineup

Russell Martin is back from paternity leave, and I’m thinking that he may get the nod as the starting catcher in this one. He hasn’t started a game behind the plate since August 29, and has only 3 starts back there in over a month. So maybe he still won’t be catching, but Gibby did say yesterday that the vets are here for their 6 months, so Martin might catch a few games over the remainder of the season.

Kendrys Morales (.977 OPS in 35 PA) and Justin Smoak (.894 in 37) have had success against Sabathia in the past, including a pair of home runs for each. They’re both likely in the lineup today.

Yankees’ Lineup

Aaron Judge was activated off the DL prior to yesterday’s game. However, he isn’t expected to take an at bat anytime soon. Instead, the hulking slugger will be used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner over the next week or so while working out in the batting cage and getting up to 100% for the Wild Card game.

When the Yankees looked to upgrade their situation at 1B in July, instead of going for a big name, they added Luke Voit to their roster. And in typical, frustrating Yankee fashion, Voit has excelled. In 26 games, he has hit .305/.387/.585 (164 wRC+) with 7 home runs. I don’t think anyone expects the 27 year old sophomore to continue this barrage forever, but I’m sure the Yankees are hoping he’ll at least continue it through the rest of the year.

Yesterday’s Heroes

Aaron Altherr went 4-5 with a pair of homers, helping the Phillies drub the Marlins 14-2 with his Monster Bat.

Walker Buehler held down the Cardinals for 8 shutout innings yesterday, putting up 0 after 0 and accumulating a WPA King total of .556 WPA on the day. His Dodgers won 3-0 thanks to Buehler and a couple Yasiel Puig home runs.

Buehler’s 8 shutout innings weren’t enough for Pitcher of the Day though, as that honour goes to Chris Stratton. Stratton went the distance for the shutout, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. The Giants ended up beating the Rockies 2-0, and helping Buehler’s Dodgers gain a game in the standings.

Find the Link

Find the link between Sabathia and Yoenis Cespedes