When the Yankees announced earlier today that they added Cody Eppley to their bullpen for the ALCS, the speculation was that David Phelps would start Game 2 tomorrow. That’s not the case.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Hiroki Kuroda will make the start in Game 2 on three days’ rest. Kuroda, who has never started a game on short rest in the majors, allowed two runs over 8 1/3 innings while throwing 105 pitches in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Orioles on Wednesday.
There’s some concern that Kuroda was tiring down the stretch, as he threw a career-high 219 2/3 innings during the regular season and stopped throwing bullpen sessions between starts, but this is a gamble the Yankees had to take. If the Yankees go up 2-0 in the series, they could possibly push CC Sabathia back to Game 4 rather than have him go on three days’ rest in Game 3 on Tuesday. Kuroda is also lined up to start Game 6 or 7 on regular rest.
Phelps and Derek Lowe are both available as piggyback options if Kuroda struggles or runs out of steam early tomorrow.
