Game 162 FAQ: Lineups, pitchers, more

October 3rd, 2021

Sunday is Game 162 across the Majors, and six games in particular will impact the postseason picture, with the Yankees (vs. Rays), Red Sox (at Nationals), Mariners (vs. Angels) and Blue Jays (vs. Orioles) all contending for the two AL Wild Card spots and the Giants (vs. Padres) and Dodgers (vs. Brewers) vying for the NL West title.

See what's at stake and check out the lineups and starting pitchers for each of these six games below.

Rays-Yankees, 3:05 pm

Overview: The Yankees’ magic number to clinch a Wild Card spot is one, so they are in with a win and would then host the Wild Card Game as long as the Red Sox lose. If the Yankees lose, they could end up in a three- or four-team tiebreaker with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and/or Mariners. The Rays will play the winner of the Wild Card Game in the ALDS, so they are incentivized to make life as difficult as possible for all Wild Card contenders. They can start by finishing off a sweep of the Yankees today.

What are the starting lineups?

Rays: Tampa Bay already clinched the AL East and home-field advantage through the ALCS, but the club is running out all of its usual starters on Sunday. Brandon Lowe has homered in three straight games (3 HR on Saturday) and needs one more big fly for his first career 40-homer season.

  1. Brandon Lowe, 2B
  2. Randy Arozarena, RF
  3. Wander Franco, SS
  4. Nelson Cruz, DH
  5. Austin Meadows, LF
  6. Ji-Man Choi, 1B
  7. Mike Zunino, C
  8. Joey Wendle, 3B
  9. Kevin Kiermaier, CF

Yankees: DJ LeMahieu is sidelined by a sports hernia, so Odor will take over at third base on Sunday.

  1. Gleyber Torres, 2B
  2. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
  3. Aaron Judge, RF
  4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
  5. Joey Gallo, LF
  6. Gio Urshela, SS
  7. Brett Gardner, CF
  8. Gary Sánchez, C
  9. Rougned Odor, 3B

Who are the starting pitchers?

Rays: Michael Wacha will make his 23rd start of the season for Tampa Bay. The veteran right-hander has recorded a 4.75 ERA in his 22 starts this year, and he has pitched brilliantly against the Yankees, notching a 2.16 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.

Yankees: Jameson Taillon will take the mound for just the third time since the start of September. The righty went on the injured list Sept. 9 with a partially torn tendon in his right ankle and re-aggravated the injury against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, causing his exit in the third inning. Taillon has allowed seven earned runs in 9 2/3 innings against the Rays this season. He has an overall 4.40 ERA on the year, although he’s pitched to a 3.41 ERA in 13 starts dating back to the beginning of July.

Red Sox-Nationals, 3:05 p.m. ET

Overview: After winning the first two games in this three-game series, the Red Sox can clinch the first AL Wild Card spot with another victory on Sunday, thus earning home-field advantage in the AL Wild Card Game. If the Sox lose, they could find themselves in a three- or four-team tiebreaker scenario with the Yankees, Blue Jays and/or Mariners.

What are the starting lineups?

Red Sox: With no designated-hitter spot available, the Red Sox have had to leave one of their regular starters on the bench during this series. On Friday, it was Alex Verdugo. This is the same lineup that Boston rolled out against Washington on Saturday, which means first baseman Bobby Dalbec will take a seat again.

  1. Enrique Hernández, 2B
  2. Kyle Schwarber, 1B
  3. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  4. Rafael Devers, 3B
  5. J.D. Martinez, RF
  6. Alex Verdugo, LF
  7. Hunter Renfroe, CF
  8. Christian Vázquez, C
  9. Chris Sale, P

Nationals: After drawing four walks Friday, Juan Soto went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a sac fly on Saturday. Does he have a big performance in store for the finale?

  1. Lane Thomas, CF
  2. Alcides Escobar, SS
  3. Juan Soto, RF
  4. Josh Bell, LF
  5. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B
  6. Jordy Mercer, 2B
  7. Alex Avila, C
  8. Carter Kieboom, 3B
  9. Joan Adon, P

Who are the starting pitchers?

Red Sox: In his ninth start back from Tommy John surgery, Chris Sale will look to ensure the AL Wild Card Game is played at Fenway Park. The ace left-hander has gone 5-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings since returning to the mound.

Nationals: Joan Adon, Washington’s No. 22 prospect, will make his MLB debut for the Nationals on Sunday. The 23-year-old righty spent time at three Minor League levels this season and recorded a collective 4.97 ERA with 122 K’s in 105 innings.

Angels-Mariners, 3:05 pm

Overview: Looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2001, the Mariners need a win and some help from the Rays or Nationals to force a tiebreaker.

What are the starting lineups?

Angels: AL MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani will lead off Sunday having hit just one homer in his past 20 games.

  1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
  2. Phil Gosselin, LF
  3. Jared Walsh, 1B
  4. Kurt Suzuki, C
  5. Jack Mayfield, 3B
  6. Juan Lagares, CF
  7. Jose Rojas, RF
  8. Luis Rengifo, SS
  9. David Fletcher, 2B

Mariners: Cal Raleigh joins the starting lineup at catcher in place of Tom Murphy.

  1. J.P. Crawford, SS
  2. Ty France, 1B
  3. Mitch Haniger, RF
  4. Kyle Seager, 3B
  5. Abraham Toro, 2B
  6. Luis Torrens, DH
  7. Jarred Kelenic, CF
  8. Cal Raleigh, C
  9. Dylan Moore, LF

Who are the starting pitchers?

Angels: It will be rookie Reid Detmers, the Angels’ No. 1 prospect, on the mound for the Halos on Sunday. Selected 10th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, the left-hander has pitched to a 7.11 ERA over four starts this season, walking nine batters and allowing five homers in 19 innings.

Mariners: Tyler Anderson allowed nine runs in two innings when he faced the Angels on Sept. 25. He’ll get another shot at the Halos on Sunday. In 12 starts since the Mariners acquired him from the Pirates prior to the Trade Deadline, the left-hander has posted a 4.50 ERA with 48 K’s across 62 innings.

Orioles-Blue Jays, 3:05 pm

Overview: The Blue Jays are hoping to force a tiebreaker scenario, but they’ll need a win on Sunday and some help from the Rays or Nationals to avoid elimination.

What are the starting lineups?

Orioles: The top four players in Baltimore’s lineup have combined for 106 of the team’s 194 home runs this season.

  1. Cedric Mullins, CF
  2. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B
  3. Austin Hays, RF
  4. Trey Mancini, DH
  5. Pedro Severino, C
  6. Kelvin Gutierrez, 3B
  7. Tyler Nevin, LF
  8. Pat Valaika, 2B
  9. Richie Martin, SS

Blue Jays: Toronto's vaunted lineup leads the Majors with 258 homers and has seven players with 20-plus big flies. The Blue Jays have slugged 40 homers while averaging nearly eight runs per game in 18 games against Orioles pitching this season.

  1. George Springer, CF
  2. Marcus Semien, 2B
  3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
  4. Bo Bichette, SS
  5. Teoscar Hernández, LF
  6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., DH
  7. Santiago Espinal, 3B
  8. Danny Jansen, C
  9. Randal Grichuk, RF

Who are the starting pitchers?

Orioles: Rookie left-hander Bruce Zimmermann will get the ball for the Orioles. He threw four innings and allowed one run Wednesday against the Red Sox in his first MLB appearance since June 13, lowering his ERA to 4.66. This will be the first time Toronto gets a look at Zimmermann.

Blue Jays: Hyun Jin Ryu had a rough September, spending time on the injured list with neck tightness and allowing 15 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. That included a seven-run outing against the Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Sept. 7. The Blue Jays need the southpaw to get back on track Sunday.

Padres-Giants, 3:05 pm

Overview: The Giants’ National League West lead is down to one game over the Dodgers, but San Francisco can clinch its first division crown since 2012 with a win over the Padres OR a Dodgers loss to the Brewers on Sunday. If the Giants lose and the Dodgers win, San Francisco would take on Los Angeles in Game 163 at Oracle Park on Monday, with the winner of that game earning the NL West title and the loser hosting the NL Wild Card Game against the Cardinals.

What are the starting lineups?

Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr. will get one more chance to pad his NL-leading home run total. The shortstop has 42 homers on the season, four of them against the Giants.

  1. Trent Grisham, CF
  2. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS
  3. Manny Machado, 3B
  4. Jake Cronenworth, 1B
  5. Wil Myers, RF
  6. Adam Frazier, 2B
  7. Jake Marisnick, LF
  8. Webster Rivas, C
  9. Reiss Knehr, P

Giants: The Giants rank first in the NL with 240 homers and second with 793 runs scored, though they've been held to just five runs in the first two games of this series.

  1. Tommy La Stella, 2B
  2. Wilmer Flores, 1B
  3. LaMonte Wade Jr., RF
  4. Buster Posey, C
  5. Brandon Crawford, SS
  6. Kris Bryant, LF
  7. Mike Yastrzemski, CF
  8. Evan Longoria, 3B
  9. Logan Webb, P

Who are the starting pitchers?

Padres: Reiss Knehr (4.85 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season. The rookie left-hander’s four-inning start on Sept. 24 against the Braves was his longest outing of the year.

Giants: Logan Webb will make the final regular-season start of his breakout 2021 campaign. The sinkerballer has a 2.93 ERA on the year and a 1.63 ERA at Oracle Park, but he’s struggled against the Padres, yielding seven runs in 10 innings.

Brewers-Dodgers, 3:05 pm

Overview: The Dodgers’ 105 wins are the most by a defending World Series champion in the divisional era (since 1969), but they still need one more AND a Giants loss to force a Game 163 showdown against San Francisco at Oracle Park for the NL West title. If the Giants win Sunday, the Dodgers will be relegated to a winner-take-all NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday against the red-hot Cardinals, albeit at Dodger Stadium.

What are the starting lineups?

Brewers: Neither Christian Yelich nor Lorenzo Cain will start the Brewers’ regular-season finale.

  1. Jace Peterson, 2B
  2. Willy Adames, SS
  3. Rowdy Tellez, 1B
  4. Avisaíl García, RF
  5. Luis Urías, 3B
  6. Omar Narváez, C
  7. Tyrone Taylor, LF
  8. Jackie Bradley Jr., CF
  9. Brett Anderson, P

Dodgers: Cody Bellinger moves to the bench in favor of Chris Taylor and Justin Turner moves up to the cleanup spot for Sunday's finale.

  1. Mookie Betts, RF
  2. Corey Seager, SS
  3. Trea Turner, 2B
  4. Justin Turner, 3B
  5. Max Muncy, 1B
  6. Will Smith, C
  7. AJ Pollock, LF
  8. Chris Taylor, CF
  9. Walker Buehler, P

Who are the starting pitchers?

Brewers: Brett Anderson (4.26 ERA), who pitched for the Dodgers in 2015-16, will make his 24th start of the season for Milwaukee. The veteran left-hander isn’t expected to be part of the Brewers’ rotation during the playoffs.

Dodgers: Los Angeles will turn to Walker Buehler to start Sunday. A contender for the NL Cy Young Award, the 27-year-old has gone 15-4 with a 2.49 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 202 2/3 innings in 2021. Buehler has been especially dominant at Dodger Stadium this season, notching a 2.06 ERA.