ARLINGTON, Texas — It appears the tightness in James Paxton’s glute won’t be a pain in the ass for the Yankees when they face the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS next Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
When Paxton left Friday night’s 14-7 beating of the Rangers in front of 35,168 at Globe Life Park after one inning, red flags quickly surfaced.
While Paxton, who had won his past 10 decisions, hadn’t been officially tabbed by Aaron Boone as his Game 1 starter, he was a heavy favorite for that honor.
After the victory — which included six Yankees homers and three RBIs from DJ LeMahieu, who raised his total to 102 — Boone and Paxton explained they didn’t think the tight glute was going to be a problem.
“I really don’t think it is anything big at all,’’ Boone said. “He wanted to go back out there and normally I would have let him. I kind of sided with him and the next one is too important so I said, ‘That’s it.’ I didn’t want to mess with anything. I do think it’s kind of a minor deal. In between innings he felt a little tightness at the top of the glute. I am playing it super safe in that spot.’’
Paxton said the tightness surfaced while warming up for the start and was in tune with Boone’s assessment of the situation.
“I felt a little tightness, a little discomfort,’’ said Paxton who gave up a two-run homer to Danny Santana. “I thought I could keep going, but they wanted to play it safe for what is next.’’
That would be the Twins in the best-of-five ALDS after the Astros beat the Angels on Friday night to secure home-field advantage, thanks to the best record in the AL.
“They are a team a lot of people take lightly, but they are really good,’’ Zack Britton said of the Twins, who have lost 13 straight postseason games to the Yankees, who took four of six regular season games from the AL Central champions. “It’s going to be a challenge.’’
It would have been a bigger challenge if Paxton suffered an injury that sidelined him. Now he has six days to get ready for a Twins lineup that is in a tight race with the Yankees to see who establishes a season high in homers and sets an MLB all-time record.
“They led most of the year, make sure they don’t catch us,’’ said LeMahieu of the Yankees holding a 305-302 lead over the Twins with two games remaining.
Giancarlo Stanton, Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, Gio Urshela, Mike Ford and Austin Romine slugged homers for the Yankees, who were one shy of their season-high.
Stanton went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks.
“I shortened my swing a little bit,’’ said Stanton, whose first-inning blast collided with the back wall of the Yankees’ bullpen in left center. “I saw some things from the last game in Tampa and tightened it up.’’
To get by the Twins and into the best-of-seven ALCS, the Yankees are going to need a productive Stanton. But that goes for everyone in the lineup, including Gary Sanchez, who returned from a groin problem and struck out in all three at-bats Friday in his first game since Sept. 12.
Only because the Yankees’ rotation isn’t as deep as the lineup, which Boone expects Edwin Encarnacion to join in time to face the Twins, the news on Paxton was far more important than the Yankees punishing a weak parade of Ranger pitchers.
With Paxton, the Twins will be a handful. Without him, they will be more than a pain in the ass.