The Yankees open a three game series against the Tigers this afternoon at 1:10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on YES and is available on MLB.TV. Here’s the lineup for New York:
- Jacoby Ellsbury- CF
- Brett Gardner- LF
- Starlin Castro- 2B
- Mark Teixeira- DH
- Dustin Ackley- 1B
- Chase Headley- 3B
- Didi Gregorius- SS
- Aaron Hicks- RF
- Austin Romine- C
Luis Severino will be making his 12th career start, and his first against Detroit today. Mike Aviles is the only current Tiger to have gotten a look at Severino last year, going 0-2. PECOTA expects some regression from the 22 year old phenom in 2016, projecting a modest 4.18 ERA and 1.5 WARP in 164 ⅓ IP for the season. His 2015 DRA of 3.82 was almost a full run higher than his actual ERA of 2.89, so it’s reasonable to think his stellar debut was at least partially the result of some good luck. Nonetheless, there is plenty of reason to be excited about Severino going into the year.
Skipper Joe Girardi recently expressed confidence in the young right-hander, telling beat reporter Ryan Hatch of NJ.com, “I think he has a better understand of what it takes to be successful, what it’s like to face a team two and three times. He has the ability to do it at this level.” He also praised Severino’s mental toughness, noting that, “I’ve never seen him waver in his confidence.”
On the opposing side, this will be Jordan Zimmerman’s Tigers debut after spending the first seven seasons of his career in the National League with Washington. He signed a five year $110 million deal with his new club back in November. Zimmerman is coming off something of a down year. His 2.2 WARP and 4.12 DRA are his worst marks since an injury shortened 2010 season. The fact that he turns 30 in May and is transitioning to the offense-friendly AL doesn’t help his chances of a rebound. Still, Zimmerman is a steady mid-rotation presence for Detroit with a reliable track record of providing 200 or so above-average innings each year.
Zimmerman has faced the Yankees twice in his career, most recently last May 20th. In that game, he outdueled Adam Warren, holding the Yankees to two runs over seven innings while striking out six. The Nationals squeaked by the Bombers 3-2. Here’s a look at how the current Yankees have fared against Zimmerman historically, courtesy of Baseball-Reference:
| Name | PA | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlin Castro | 25 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .200 | .200 | .320 | .520 |
| Chase Headley | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .182 | .217 | .182 | .399 |
| Carlos Beltran | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .250 | .400 | .650 |
| Brian McCann | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .250 | .333 | .250 | .583 |
| Didi Gregorius | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .375 | .750 | 1.125 |
| Mark Teixeira | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Dustin Ackley | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 | 2.000 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Brett Gardner | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Aaron Hicks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 110 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 0.226 | 0.245 | 0.330 | 0.576 |
Notes:
– The Yankees were 5-2 versus Detroit in 2015. They outscored them 46-26.
– Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre had their season opener suspended due to rain in the top of the fifth inning yesterday with the RailRiders down 1-0. They will finish the game today at 5:05 before playing their regularly scheduled contest 30 minutes after the completion of the first.
– Jim Callis of MLB.com reported that Yankees prospect Luis Torrens will begin the year on the disabled list because of discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. Torrens, who ranked 10th on Baseball Prospectus’ list of top Yankee prospects before the 2015 season, missed all of last year because of a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. It’s not clear yet whether this is a minor setback or something more serious.
– This offseason, Mark Teixeira made headlines when he announced he plans to play another five or six seasons after his contract with the Yankees expires after the 2016 season. In his post-game interview yesterday, he made it clear that his top priority is for those seasons to be played in Yankee pinstripes, telling Randy Miller of NJ.com, “”This is the whole package. Once you play for the Yankees, you’ve kind of reached the pinnacle of Major League Baseball. It’s just tough to see myself in another uniform.”
With Greg Bird’s status for 2017 uncertain following shoulder surgery, New York will at least explore a reunion with their star first baseman following the season, but it’s unlikely they’d be interested in anything beyond a one year deal given their recent spending history and their focus on getting younger. Although, if he keeps hitting bombs like this he’ll make the team’s decision a lot harder:
Lead photo: Steve Mitchell / USA Today Sports