On Sunday, the Yankees and Nats close out their opening series. With no shortage of aces, Washington is going with top-flight lefty Patrick Corbin. Meanwhile, in response to the losses of Luis Severino (elbow surgery) and Masahiro Tanaka (concussion), the Yankees plan to ‘bullpen’ the game–although they’re keeping their starter close to the vest.
New York Yankees at Washington Nationals
Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. – 1:05 P.M. EST
Game Info/Starting Pitchers:
NYY: Chad Green – R (Last Season: 4-4, 4.17 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 1.6 WAR, 69 IP) — *Most likely*
WAS: Patrick Corbin – L (Last Season: 14-7, 3.25 ERA, 3.49 FIP, 4.8 WAR, 2020 IP)
Moneyline: NYY -124 | WAS +108
Spread: NYY -1.5 (+133) | WAS +1.5 (-159)
Totals: 9.5 | o -113 | u -108
Interesting Stats
Opener v. Ace
The Nats, as mentioned above, are sending workhorse Patrick Corbin to the mound. Without a third ace of their own, the Yankees are using the “attack with a small army” strategy. As became popular in 2019, New York will send out an opener (most likely Green) for the 1st inning. He will then be followed by a parade of relievers as the Yankees piecemeal a 9-inning plan. While this is too taxing a strategy to deploy daily, it should keep Yankees’ pitching on par with Corbin tonight.
Righty Stackin’
It’s common baseball knowledge that pitchers perform better against same-handed foes. Patrick Corbin, however, takes that to the extreme. Among starting pitchers, Corbin was the best in baseball against lefties with a 1.77 FIP (min. 30 IP). Meanwhile, his 3.88 FIP vs righties represented a vast 2.11 run difference. This is important because the Yankees can reasonably run out a zero-lefty lineup, exposing Corbin’s weak side.
