MIN-NYY: Lineups, matchups, FAQ

October 5th, 2019

The opening act of the American League Division Series did not disappoint, witnessed by a super-charged Yankee Stadium crowd of 49,233 -- most of whom treated their seats as an optional suggestion through most of the evening.

The Twins and Yankees will not have to wait long for a second installment, as Randy Dobnak and prepare to face off in ALDS Game 2 on Saturday evening in the Bronx.

Minnesota is aiming to reverse its recent history against the Bombers, who have won 11 straight postseason games against the Twins, dating to Oct. 6, 2004.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 2 will be on Saturday at 5:07 p.m. ET on FS1.

All games telecast on MLB Network, TBS, FOX and FS1 will be available to MLB.TV subscribers who are authenticated subscribers to the applicable network through a participating pay TV provider.

What are the starting lineups?
Twins: With the right-handed Tanaka on the mound for the Yankees, manager Rocco Baldelli and the Twins reverted back to the top of the lineup that they have used for most of the season, with a healthy Max Kepler hitting leadoff ahead of Jorge Polanco and Nelson Cruz, and Mitch Garver moving down in the order. The Twins replaced C.J. Cron with left-handed outfielder Jake Cave, moving Marwin Gonzalez to first base. Cron was 0-for-4 and committed an error in Game 1.

Yankees: Dobnak will present a mystery to the Bombers’ hitters, none of whom have faced the hurler’s funky array. Manager Aaron Boone made no edits to the lineup that produced 10 runs in Game 1.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Twins: Two years ago, Dobnak was pitching in an obscure independent league in the suburbs of Michigan. Last offseason, he drove for Uber, and he boasts of his 4.99 rating. On Opening Day, he was getting ready to pitch for Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Last week, he got married. On Saturday, Dobnak (2-1, 1.59 ERA) will make the biggest start of his life. The Twins hope that Dobnak’s 52.9 percent ground-ball rate, unorthodox delivery and relative unfamiliarity will neutralize the Yankees’ high-flying offense.

Yankees: Tanaka (11-9, 4.45 ERA) has pitched much better at home than on the road during his big league career, especially this year, when the right-hander logged a 3.10 ERA in 16 starts at Yankee Stadium and a 6.05 ERA away from the Bronx. He did not face the Twins this year.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Twins: The Twins only used and out of their high-leverage core on Friday night, leaving , and fully fresh for Game 2 on Saturday. It’s tough to imagine Minnesota allowing itself to fall into an 0-2 series deficit while leaving its best arms on the bench, so they could be more aggressively used at the first sign of trouble.

Yankees: Boone offered a preview of the aggressive way he’ll deploy his bullpen in October during Game 1, when it allowed one run on two hits over 4 1/3 innings. , , and all worked in high-leverage situations.

Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
Twins: Converted starter threw 34 pitches in a three-run seventh inning in Game 1, and he is likely to be the only unavailable arm out of Minnesota’s bullpen on Saturday. Though Duffey threw 25 pitches on Friday night, that shouldn’t keep him out of action in Game 2, with all hands on deck for the Twins.

Yankees: threw 23 pitches in one inning of relief during Game 1, so he is unlikely to be available until Game 3 at the earliest. Boone has suggested that Happ remains in the mix for a potential starting assignment in Game 4.

Any injuries of note?
Twins: Arraez’s right ankle seemed to be put on the spot in several important moments in Game 1 -- on both offense and defense -- but Baldelli said after the game that he did not have any injury concerns regarding his rookie second baseman. The Twins should not have any health issues entering Saturday.

Yankees: For a change, the “Next Man Up” Yankees have no significant injury concerns. In fact, when Boone filled out the Game 1 lineup, that was the first time all year he’d had the opportunity to plug those nine batters together in the same batting order.

Who is hot and who is not?
Twins: Sanó and Cruz combined for 15 homers in September, and those power surges carried into Game 1 when both sluggers went yard into Yankee Stadium’s shallow right-field porch. Gonzalez didn’t show any rust in his return from an oblique injury, as he doubled and singled in 2-for-4 game. Cron went 0-for-4 on Friday after struggling with a thumb injury throughout the second half.

Yankees: LeMahieu’s performance has carried over into the postseason, as he went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and four RBIs in Game 1. Encarnacion looked like he didn’t miss any time at all, doubling in his first two at-bats of Game 1. Sánchez struck out three times and walked in Game 1 as he looks to find his timing following a stint on the injured list. Gregorius, who slumped through most of September, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, a walk and a run scored.

Anything else fans might want to know?
The Yankees are 16-2 against the Twins at Yankee Stadium since 2015, including the postseason. LeMahieu was the second player in Yankees history to record four RBIs in his first postseason game with the club, joining Bobby Abreu (Game 1 of the 2006 ALDS vs. Detroit).

With the Twins’ Game 1 loss on Friday night, they have dropped 14 straight games in the postseason, the most in Major League history. Minnesota has also lost 11 straight to the Yankees in October.