The New York Yankees will attempt to stake out a 3-0 advantage in their best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians Thursday evening. When the Yankees take the field for Game 3, they'll have a different look to their lineup: Jon Berti will be at first base in place of Anthony Rizzo, while Jose Trevino will cop a squat behind the plate and give Austin Wells the night off.
Yankees skipper Aaron Boone addressed those changes ahead of Game 3.
"I mean, they've got a lefty going," Boone said in reference to Cleveland southpaw Matthew Boyd. "I'd say the first one we faced this postseason because I don't count Ragans because he's so the other way. Trevi is an important part of this club and have a ton of confidence in him and what he brings to the table, too."
What Boone left unsaid is that Wells has been mired in a slump. He entered September with a .795 OPS on the year, but hit just .111/.217/.194 in his final 83 trips to the plate. Wells hasn't turned it around in the postseason, either. To date, he's gone 2 for 24 with 10 strikeouts. Factor in the left-on-left component, and it only makes sense for Boone to give Wells a breather and Trevino an opportunity to see what he can do at the dish.
As for the first-base situation, Boone said: "With Berti, also just loved how he looked in the Division Series, love the dynamic he brings to the table. I kind of went into this series knowing that it might be Boyd in Game 3. Probably that would be the day coming off an off-day with Riz."
Rizzo, of course, only just returned from missing some with two fractured fingers. Boone did say that the way Rizzo has played -- he's 3 for 7 with a double -- had him reconsidering his options. In the end, though, he elected to give Berti a shot. Berti went 2 for 7 during the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals.
Historically, MLB teams who have taken a 3-0 edge in a best-of-seven series then go on to win said series around 85% of the time. The Yankees, then, would be putting themselves in prime position to advance to the World Series with a win on Thursday.
