The Yankees are entering the final leg of their 10-game road trip. After three in Tampa Bay and another four in Detroit, they head to Houston for a three-game set vs. the Astros. Here are the probable pitching matchups at the moment.
Friday at 8:10 pm ET: Carlos Rodon vs. Justin Verlander
Carlos Rodon will take the hill with hopes of piling up both innings and strikeouts in one start. On August 22nd against the Nationals, he went six innings and recorded just one strikeout. In his most recent start against the Rays, he lasted just 4.2 innings while striking out seven. Rodon faced the Astros about a month ago and allowed five runs on three hits (two homers) in 2.2 innings.
Justin Verlander gets his fourth (!) crack at the Yankees this season. In his previous three 2023 appearances against New York, JV owns a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings of work. Overall, the right-hander hasn’t allowed an earned run while striking out 16 hitters over his last two starts (11 innings).
Saturday at 7:10 pm ET: Luis Severino vs. Hunter Brown
After an incredibly rocky road, could Luis Severino finally be back? He’s allowed six hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts over his last two starts, which spans 13.2 shutout innings. Sevy also allowed five runs in his last appearance against the Astros, although it came in four innings pitched.
Hunter Brown owns a 5.08 ERA over his past seven appearances (33.2 innings). That susses out to 19 total earned runs during that time, with 11 of them coming in two starts. This will be his second career start against the Yankees. His first came earlier this year — he allowed two runs on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts in six innings.
Sunday at 7:00 pm ET: Michael King vs. Cristian Javier
Michael King will continue his Yankees rotation experiment under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball. His most recent appearance against the Tigers was his longest (and best) performance of the year. King held Detroit scoreless over four innings while allowing three hits and no walks with five strikeouts on 61 pitches.
Cristian Javier isn’t having the kind of year he hoped for. His 4.66 ERA is more than two runs higher than what it was in 2022 (2.54). He’s 2-0 in his last five starts and Houston is 4-1 in those games, but Javier has failed to complete more than five innings. He’s also posted a 6.17 ERA during that time. The hurler allowed three runs on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings against the Yankees on August 3rd.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
