Ellsbury sits, Gomez returns for Bronx showdown
Resolved to make things as uncomfortable as possible for left-hander Dallas Keuchel, Joe Girardi has opted to start right-handed hitting veteran Chris Young over Jacoby Ellsbury for Tuesday's American League wild-card game against the Houston Astros.
The Yankees' lineup features five righties, including switch-hitters Carlos Beltran and Chase Headley, for the single-game elimination playoff in New York. Brett Gardner is playing center field and Rob Refsnyder is at second behind right-hander Masahiro Tanaka.
Young, hitting 6-for-20 (.300) against the AL Cy Young Award candidate, is batting second and playing left field.
Despite the lefty Keuchel on the mound, Ellsbury's absence in the Yankees' biggest game in three years is especially significant given the roughly $110 million remaining on his contract. The speedy outfielder has been slowed by various injuries this season, culminating in a career-worst .257/.318/.345 batting line over 111 games.
Girardi cited Gardner's overall "body of work" against left-handers as the reason behind Ellsbury starting on the bench, although the manager expects to insert him into the lineup as a defensive replacement if the team gets a lead.
"You're going to be in this game," he told Ellsbury according to Jack Curry of the YES Network.
| Position | Player | Bats |
|---|---|---|
| CF | Brett Gardner | L |
| LF | Chris Young | R |
| RF | Carlos Beltran | S |
| DH | Alex Rodriguez | R |
| C | Brian McCann | L |
| 3B | Chase Headley | S |
| 1B | Greg Bird | L |
| 2B | Rob Refsnyder | R |
| SS | Didi Gregorius | L |
For Houston, meanwhile, manager A.J. Hinch wrote in Carlos Gomez's name in his starting lineup for just the second time in 21 games. Acquired from Milwaukee at the trade deadline, Gomez has battled an intercostal strain down the stretch that forced him out of the lineup for the club's season-ending series in Arizona.
Gomez, playing center field and batting sixth, will be flanked by a lineup built on power and speed. The Astros ranked second in homers and third in stolen bases this season.
| Position | Player | Bats |
|---|---|---|
| 2B | Jose Altuve | R |
| RF | George Springer | R |
| SS | Carlos Correa | R |
| LF | Colby Rasmus | L |
| DH | Evan Gattis | R |
| CF | Carlos Gomez | R |
| 3B | Luis Valbuena | L |
| 1B | Chris Carter | R |
| C | Jason Castro | L |
The winner of Tuesday's game will play the Royals in Kansas City on Thursday in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. First pitch in the Bronx is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.