The Yankees head to Tampa Bay on Saturday to take on the American League East champion Rays in the division series.
After a two-game sweep of the Red Sox, their rivals down south will come into the series fresh with ace Drew Rasmussen on the mound.
That is a less-than-ideal matchup for a Yankees lineup still dealing with questions surrounding Aaron Judge and a limited Giancarlo Stanton.
Rasmussen has dominated the Yankees throughout his career, going 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 11 appearances (10 starts) against them.
He was especially tough on them this season, posting a 2.86 ERA in four starts, including a gem in the Bronx on Sept. 22, during which he allowed just one hit and one run over 6 2/3 innings while striking out 11 batters.
The Yankees’ biggest bats have had trouble with Rasmussen too.
Cody Bellinger is just 4-for-17 (.235) against him, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 2-for-14 (.143), and Ben Rice is 1-for-16 (.063) with seven strikeouts.
Further down the order, Anthony Volpe is hitless in 11 at-bats, while Austin Wells is just 1-for-8.
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The Yankees survived the wild-card round without Judge, who remains a question mark for the ALDS because of his calf strain, while Stanton has been limited after missing most of the season with his own calf issues.
That could put even more pressure on a lineup that will now have to solve one of the pitchers who has given it the most trouble in recent years.
The play: Drew Rasmussen to allow Under 2.5 earned runs (-289, FanDuel)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
