The New York Yankees offense has been struggling for a while.
Even in the last two months of the regular season, it was evident that the unit wasn’t as sharp as it was before the All-Star break.
Some injuries have entered the equation too, leaving key pieces such as DJ LeMahieu and Andrew Benintendi off the roster for the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros and limiting Matt Carpenter.
The result?
A unit that is hitting .176 for the postseason and hasn’t had more than six hits in any game so far.
Because of that, manager Aaron Boone is trying to jumpstart the offense by making some tweaks.
“Harrison Bader moves to the leadoff spot, Oswald Peraza makes his first #Postseason start at SS,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted, showing the Yanks’ lineup for Game 2.
Harrison Bader moves to the leadoff spot, Oswald Peraza makes his first #Postseason start at SS. https://t.co/tzLEqa1k6T
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) October 20, 2022
The Yankees Need To Do Better At The Plate In Game 2
They lost Game 1 on Wednesday night after scoring just two runs, finishing with five hits and striking out 17 times.
With four home runs in the 2022 playoffs, Bader is moving to the leadoff spot where he will see more plate appearances.
Peraza is also a nice addition to the lineup: he carries much more offensive upside than Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who returns to the bench and will fulfill a utility role.
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Rizzo have been supplying some power and occupy prime positions in the lineup, but the Yanks badly need good games from Gleyber Torres, Kyle Higashioka, and Oswaldo Cabrera at the bottom of the order.
Luis Severino will be on the mound for the Yankees as they try not to return to New York on a 0-2 hole.
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