Rays-Yankees ALDS Game 3 preview FAQ

Giancarlo Stanton’s jaw-dropping power offers one reason to tune in for the American League Division Series, as the slugger aims to become the first Yankee to homer in five consecutive postseason games. Yet the Rays are answering with some long-ball displays of their own, a major reason why this series is even heading into Game 3.

Tampa Bay mashed four homers in Tuesday’s 7-5 victory, backing an elite pitching staff that registered 18 strikeouts to set a Major League record for a nine-inning postseason game.

It’s anyone’s series as the “Savages” and the “Stable” continue their showdown in San Diego, with the Yankees now set to don pinstripes as the “home” team. Right-hander Charlie Morton will get the starting nod for Tampa Bay, while Masahiro Tanaka will be on the mound for New York.

“It's going to be a good fight,” Stanton said. “All these games are, as expected.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
The game will air on TBS at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It is also available to stream on MLB.TV with authentication.

What do the starting lineups look like?
Rays: Tampa Bay stacked its lineup with seven lefties against Tanaka, with Yoshi Tsutsugo and Michael Perez getting the nods over Manuel Margot and Mike Zunino.

Yankees: Manager Aaron Boone has been platooning Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner in left field, largely based on matchups, though Frazier got the nod in Game 2 due to Tyler Glasnow’s reverse splits. Gardner is back in the lineup for Game 3 in the eighth spot, and Kyle Higashioka got the start behind the plate over Gary Sánchez.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Rays: Morton (2-2, 4.74 ERA in nine 2020 starts) hasn’t pitched since Sept. 25, but he gets the Game 3 start. The right-hander battled a shoulder injury early in his disappointing season, but the Rays are confident he will find another gear in the playoffs. In his past eight postseason starts, Morton is 4-1 with a 3.79 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .667 OPS.

Yankees: Tanaka (3-3, 3.56 ERA in 10 starts) will be thrilled to work in more amenable conditions than in his last outing, when torrential rain and wind interrupted the first inning in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series at Cleveland. Tanaka allowed six runs in four innings that night, a rare blip for a postseason star who has pitched to a 2.70 ERA with an 0.88 WHIP in 50 playoff innings.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Rays: If the Rays have a lead heading into the later innings, the club will likely lean on Diego Castillo, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Thompson and Nick Anderson. Fairbanks, Castillo and Anderson all threw 20-plus pitches in Game 2, but the Rays will use them on back-to-back nights if they have a chance to take the series lead.

Yankees: New York didn’t need Chad Green, Zack Britton or closer Aroldis Chapman in Game 2. That would be the preferred sequence for the final nine outs (or more), assuming that Tanaka can get the Yanks into the middle innings.

Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
Rays: It will depend on the situation, but the Rays should be full-go in a pivotal Game 3.

Yankees: Boone will probably try to stay away from Jonathan Loaisiga after he threw 24 pitches over 1 2/3 innings in Game 2.

Any injuries of note?
Rays: None.

Yankees: Voit continues to deal with a lingering left foot injury, though he played all of Game 2 with the team needing offense. Voit also made a nice defensive play to save Urshela from a throwing error in the third inning of Game 2.

Who is hot and who is not?
Rays: Arozarena and his “power boots” continue to steal the show during the postseason. The 25-year-old is now 9-for-16 with five extra-base hits in four postseason games. Margot and Zunino also continued to swing hot bats, each connecting on his second homer of the postseason in Game 2.

All nine hitters in the Rays’ lineup have made a contribution in the first two games of the series. Díaz, who didn’t play in Game 2, is 0-for-6 in two postseason games. The Rays will continue to use him, however, as the infielder led the team with a .428 on-base percentage during the regular season.

Yankees: Stanton is sizzling hot, joining Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson as the only Yankees to homer in four consecutive postseason games. His fourth-inning homer in Game 2 was a majestic blast, projected at 458 feet by Statcast.

Judge has been all-or-nothing; he’s 2-for-19 with two homers and eight strikeouts in the postseason. Voit has had a quiet ALDS, going 1-for-7 with four strikeouts.

Anything else fans want to know?
Rays: Morton allowed one run and struck out nine over five innings in Game 3 of last year’s ALDS against the Astros. His Game 3 start against the Yankees in the 2017 ALCS didn’t go as smoothly, allowing seven runs over 3 2/3 innings.

Yankees: This will be the second time in the past two years that the Yankees have worn their home pinstripes in a ballpark not located in the Bronx. They did so for both games of the London Series last summer against the Red Sox. … Including the postseason, Stanton has hit 11 homers in 21 career games at Petco Park. Stanton won the 2016 Home Run Derby at this ballpark, hitting a then-Derby-record 61 homers.

TB-NYY Game 3 lineups, FAQ (TBS, 7 ET)