The New York Yankees will be rolling the dice a bit at Dodger Stadium.
The Yankees announced Thursday that lefty Carlos Rodon will be drawing the start in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. With Gerrit Cole getting the call for Game 1 on Friday, that means Clarke Schmidt will be starting in Game 3 on Monday when the World Series shifts over to New York.
Going with Rodon in Game 2 is a definite risk for the Yankees, especially considering his home-away splits. Rodon posted a 3.11 ERA at home this season as opposed to a 4.69 ERA on the road. Meanwhile, the opposite is true for Schmidt. The righty Schmidt was subpar at home in the regular season (4.50 ERA) but spectacular on the road (1.39 ERA). That makes the decision to go with Rodon on the road and Schmidt at home in the World Series a little bit head-scratching.
The Yankees may feel that Rodon, a two-time All-Star and 10-year MLB veteran, is better equipped to handle the difficult situation of a road start in the World Series. Going with Cole, Rodon, and Schmidt to start the World Series will also give the Yankees a righty-lefty-righty sequence that could prevent the Dodgers’ hitters from getting into a rhythm. Regardless though, that is the decision that the Yankees are going with, and they should be getting some notable rotation help later on in the series as well.
