Tampa Bay is looking to boot the New York Yankees from the ALDS tonight, and honestly, the numbers don’t lie. Teams up 2-0 in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win a ridiculous 83 out of 93 times, an 89% clip. That’s a brutal reality check for New York, who are staring down elimination in Game 3 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS. If there’s any hope, it’s gotta come from Max Fried on the mound.
Defense Is a Mess and Offense Is M.I.A.
The Yankees have been absolutely dreadful, dropping the first two games at Tropicana Field and managing just two total runs. But it wasn’t just the anemic offense. The defense was an absolute mess in Monday’s 5-2 loss, committing four errors, with three of those happening in the first inning alone. Four errors in a playoff game is just one shy of their franchise playoff record. It makes you wonder how a team even gets into that position. Beyond one guy, the offense has been quiet too, striking out 17 times in the first two games and reaching safely only three other times (one hit, two walks). Yeah, it’s fair to say they could really use Aaron Judge right about now. With all this, manager Aaron Boone is apparently thinking about some lineup changes for tonight, and honestly, who could blame him?
Ben Rice Is Making History, But Can Max Fried Actually Save Them?
Amidst all the chaos, there’s been one bright spot: Ben Rice. This dude is having himself a postseason! He crushed a pair of solo shots in Game 2, which was his second two-homer game of these playoffs. He had another one in Game 1 of the Wild-Card Round against Boston. Get this: Rice is the first player in Yankees history to have two multi-homer games in a single postseason. And his five homers? That’s the second-most in Yankees history for a player’s first 10 postseason games, right behind Bernie Williams’ six. That’s an insane stat. He’s even got the shortest odds to go yard tonight at +326. But despite Rice’s heroics, the team around him is struggling.
So, it all falls on Max Fried. He’s charged with keeping the Yankees’ season alive, and the conditions might actually help him out a bit. Temperatures are expected in the low 60s at first pitch, with winds at 5-10 mph somewhat sideways. Pitcher-friendly, right? Despite being down 2-0 and facing long series odds at +500, New York is seeing some action in the betting market, taking 72% of the handle and 68% of bets at around -160 at DraftKings.
Can Max Fried defy the odds and push this thing to a Game 4 tomorrow night? It all goes down at 8 p.m. ET on TBS. This isn’t just about winning one game, it’s about trying to rewrite history when everything’s screaming for them to pack it in.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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