Yankees News: CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka Are Options Over Luis Severino For 2018 AL Wild-Card Game

Just a few hours after the New York Yankees placed C.C. Sabathia on the disabled list with right knee inflammation, Luis Severino failed to make it into the fifth inning in an 8-5 loss to the New York Mets. It was another poor outing for the 24-year-old, further calling into question whom the Yankees might start in the 2018 AL Wild-Card Game.

An appearance in the do-or-die playoff game for the Yankees seems inevitable, even with seven weeks remaining in the regular season. New York is 10 games out of first place in the AL East as the Boston Red Sox continue their record-setting pace. The Yankees are 3.5 games ahead of the Oakland Athletics in the wild-card race, and they lead the Seattle Mariners by seven games in the loss column.

The A’s and Mariners have nine more head-to-head meetings, making it highly unlikely that both teams will overtake the Bronx Bombers. The biggest question isn’t regarding whether or not the Yankees will compete in the Wild-Card Game for a second straight year, but which pitcher will get the start.

The answer isn’t an easy one like it was last year when Severino finished third in the AL Cy Young voting. The 24-year-old has gone from the Yankees’ ace to their worst starting pitcher in recent weeks. His numbers over his last seven starts are even worse than that of Sonny Gray, making it hard to believe manager Aaron Boone would hand him the ball in a single-game elimination postseason round.

After surrendering eight baserunners and four runs in four innings to the Mets--they rank dead last in MLB with a .230 batting average--Severino has a 7.50 ERA over his last seven starts. That’s not exactly a small sample size, and the Yankees don’t seem to know what’s wrong with the pitcher that had a 1.98 ERA on July 1.

Severino only recorded one out in the 2017 AL Wild-Card Game before he was pulled. Allowing five baserunners and three runs in the first inning, he was saved by both the Yankees’ bullpen and offense. Severino finished the 2017 postseason with a 5.63 ERA in four playoff starts.

It was Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka that led the way with strong outings and got New York to Game 7 of the ALCS. With this season’s playoffs fast approaching, the veterans are the Yankees’ best options to win one postseason game.

Sabathia’s stint on the DL isn’t expected to be a lengthy one as he recovers from a knee injury that he’s managed over the last few years. He might be New York’s most reliable starter in terms of avoiding a disastrous outing, having allowed three runs or fewer in 19 of his 22 starts. The left-hander is ninth in the AL with a 3.32 ERA, and he pitched to a 2.37 ERA in four 2017 playoff starts.

Tanaka is more inconsistent than Sabathia. He’s got a penchant to give up home runs, which has contributed to him surrendering at least four runs in six of his 19 starts and pitching to a 4.08 ERA overall. But Tanaka’s ceiling is higher than Sabathia’s, and he was the Yankee’s best starter in the 2017 playoffs.

Tanaka had a 0.90 ERA in three postseason starts last year, going six innings once and seven innings twice. The right-hander tossed a complete-game shutout less than a month ago and has pitched fewer than five innings just twice this season. Sabathia averaged fewer than five innings per start in the 2017 playoffs, and he’s gone five innings or less in more than half of his 2018 starts.

Getting length from your starter isn’t nearly as important in the Wild-Card Game. It’ll be all hands on deck for the Yankees, and Boone won’t be hesitant to remove any pitcher at the first sign of trouble, especially with such a deep bullpen.

Severino can change the conversation by reverting back to his pre-All-Star form, but it’s looking more and more like the Yankees will have to turn to one of their veterans in their biggest game of the year.