New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers: Paul Blackburn vs. MacKenzie Gore

It’s getaway day game time at the Stadium! The Yankees are up bright and early for a 12:35 pm start as they host the Rangers, seeking to win their sixth consecutive series. The Bombers outslugged Texas and handed a second loss to Jacob deGrom in the opener, before suffering a second defeat at the hands of Nathan Eovaldi. This time around, both teams will be seeing new pitchers in the rubber match.

Forgive me in advance for the joke, but sometimes they write themselves: Ryan Weathers is under the weather. He was originally scheduled to make this start, but a bout with a nasty illness has him unable to go. Paul Blackburn, who has plenty of MLB starting experience, will take the ball in his place. Blackburn has appeared in nine games so far in relief, and has only gone more than two innings once, so I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to put up a full start. It’ll probably be closer to a bullpen game—especially since all the high-leverage arms got the night off in yesterday’s defeat.

Lefty MacKenzie Gore was the Rangers’ big offseason prize from a blockbuster trade with the Nationals, but his first season in Texas has been up-and-down. The 27-year old has a 4.67 ERA through seven starts and has had issues with command, ballooning his pitch counts and shortening his outings. He only managed 3.2 inconsistent innings against Detroit in his last start, and hasn’t pitched into the sixth since his first two assignments of the year. Gore has always been a can’t-miss talent and remains one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball (29.8 K% this year), but the walks have been uncomfortably frequent (11.9 BB%). It’s up to the Yankee lineup to make him labor again.

Today’s lineup is kind of a weird one. Still no Ben Rice; Paul Goldschmidt moves back into the leadoff spot ahead of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, followed by cleanup hitter Amed Rosario. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez will bat next, with Trent Grisham moving from the leadoff position to the seven-hole. Max Schuemann will play shortstop in lieu of José Caballero, who got hit by a pitch last night, and J.C. Escarra will catch this day game following a night game.

How to Watch:

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First Pitch: 12:35 pm EDT

TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network, MLB Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB Network (out-of-market)

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