Twins tab Berrios in Game 1 vs. Yankees

NEW YORK -- Right-hander José Berríos is the Twins' Game 1 starter for the American League Division Series against the Yankees, manager Rocco Baldelli announced Thursday. Baldelli would not tip his hand about who will start Game 2 on Saturday, saying it would depend on how things go in Game 1 on Friday.

Berríos, 25, will take the mound Friday at Yankee Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET. But the Twins will wait to announce who will take the mound in Games 2 and 3, while the Yankees announced their rotation will be James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and Luis Severino, in order.

"We're excited to watch him go out there and pitch," Baldelli said. "I think there are a number of reasons for it. Jose's had a very, very nice year. He's thrown the ball very well. I think the way that our pitching lines up, we can talk about performance. We can talk about matchups. We can talk about the ballpark that we're playing in. We can talk about a lot of different things. There's not one reason for it. I thought Jose fit very well in this spot."

• Shop for postseason gear: Twins | Yankees

Game	Date	Result	Highlights
Gm 1	Oct. 4	NYY 10, MIN 4	Watch
Gm 2	Oct. 5	NYY 8, MIN 2	Watch
Gm 3	Oct. 7	NYY 5, MIN 1	Watch

Shop for postseason gear: Twins | Yankees
• Postseason schedule and bracket

This will be the first career postseason start for the Puerto Rico native, but it's Berríos’ second postseason game. His first one was also at Yankee Stadium -- and he'll look to improve on that outing.

Berríos was the losing pitcher for the 2017 AL Wild Card Game in the Bronx. Entering in relief of Ervin Santana with the game tied 4-4 in the third inning, Berrios surrendered three runs in three innings as the Twins fell, 8-4, and were eliminated. Berríos allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Greg Bird in his first inning of work, then gave up a two-run homer to Aaron Judge the next inning.

• Here is the 2019 postseason schedule

Berríos, though, said he’s matured as a pitcher since that outing, as he’s developed into the club’s best starting pitcher over the last two years. This season, Berríos had an All-Star year for Minnesota, his second straight, going 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings. It was his first time reaching the 200-inning mark.

"Since then, I've grown a lot as a player," Berríos said through interpreter Elvis Martínez. "I've gained a lot of experience, and I think that's going to help me tomorrow night."

Berríos, though, knows what he’s up against, as he’s facing a lineup that hit the second-most homers in Major League history, behind only this year’s Twins team. And pitching at Yankee Stadium is a difficult place because of the atmosphere and the playing dimensions. Including his appearance in the 2017 Wild Card Game, Berrios is 0-3 with 11 runs allowed in 10 1/3 innings at Yankee Stadium in his career, but he didn't pitch there this season.

"It's not an easy place to play in,” Berríos said. “There will be a lot of pressure and emotions, but I'm just going to prepare like a regular game and go out there and try to execute and do the things that I've done the entire season."

What the Twins decide to do with the rotation after Berríos is the big question, however, as Baldelli wouldn’t commit to right-hander Jake Odorizzi as the Game 2 starter. Rookie Randy Dobnak remains a candidate to start the game, especially if they lose Game 1, as they could want a veteran such as Odorizzi for a potential elimination game instead.

“As far as who we're going to throw, what the makeup of that group is going to be, I just think it makes the most sense to kind of hold off on getting into those specifics,” Baldelli said. “Game 2 could potentially be affected by Game 1. There are scenarios where that could play out in that fashion. We'll probably just kind of stay in a holding pattern as far as going beyond Game 1 right now.”

The home/road splits don't really come into play for Odorizzi, who had a 3.42 ERA in 15 starts at home and a 3.62 ERA in 15 starts away from Target Field. In a small sample size, Dobnak had a 2.92 ERA in 12 1/3 innings at home and a 0.56 ERA in 16 innings on the road. More meaningful, Dobnak led Twins pitchers with a 54 percent ground-ball rate and also the lowest fly-ball rate at 11.5 percent, per Statcast. He allowed just one homer in 28 1/3 innings, which could be enticing at homer-friendly Yankee Stadium.

But Odorizzi, who pitched for the Rays for five seasons, does have a lot of experience at the ballpark. Odorizzi has a career 5.40 ERA in 46 2/3 innings in the Bronx, including throwing six scoreless innings there on May 4. Odorizzi, who posted a 3.51 ERA in 30 starts this year, was mum when asked when he’ll pitch this series but said he’ll be ready to go whenever the Twins need him.

“I’ve pitched in plenty of games here, and I’ve pitched in plenty of games against good teams," Odorizzi said. "I know the importance of postseason games obviously. I’m prepared as I’ve ever been.”

Another factor will be how long Baldelli will keep his starters in the game and if it could affect their ability to pitch on short rest. If Berríos is removed early enough, he could be available for Game 4 on Tuesday on short rest, while it would be a similar situation for a Game 2 starter for Game 5 on Thursday.

Minnesota relievers led all the Majors with a collective 4.8 WAR in the second half, per Fangraphs.com, so Baldelli could look to ride his bullpen hard. They won important games against the Indians using bullpen games in September and Baldelli wouldn’t rule out a similar approach against the Yankees.

"We're going to rely on our relievers in a lot of different ways," Baldelli said. "There could be a bullpen day. Or we could start the guys that have started numerous games for us. But believe me, we're going to get a heavy dose of all of those good quality relievers that we have that have done a great job for us."