John Harper, SNY.tv | Twitter |

First things first: you can't help but feel for Dellin Betances, one of the good guys in baseball, who tore his Achilles tendon in a freakish manner Sunday on the very day he finally pitched in a game for the first time this season.

That's as cruel as it is painful, all the more so considering that he is a couple months away from becoming a free agent.

Yet the cold truth is that if the Yankees can have only one of the two star pitchers for whom they've waited all season, they would much prefer it to be Luis Severino.

Just when the Yankees thought their injuries were over with, they found out that a top player -- who returned Sunday from the injured list -- has a new health issue.

After Tuesday's 8-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium in New York, the team announced to reporters before manager Aaron Boone's postgame press conference that RHP Dellin Betances had suffered a partially torn Achilles.

Betances had just returned from the 60-day injured list in Sunday's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, striking out two through 0.2 innings.

The Yankees won their first game their final homestand of the season, coming up victorious over the Angels 8-0 Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game...

1) Facing his first major league batter since the 2018 ALDS, Luis Severino came in expecting to throw about 70 pitches (ended up throwing 67)…he used up 12 of those on the leadoff hitter. Brian Goodwin was caught looking on the first pitch, took two balls on the next couple and then proceeded to foul off the next six pitches. Goodwin held Severino to a full count before walking on the 12th pitch. But, Severino managed to escape the inning with no runs scored and just one hit to go with the walk, but used up 19 pitches.

Luis Severino made his long-awaited return to the Yankees for Tuesday's opener of the three-game series against the Angels, picking up not far from where he left off.

Back in the big leagues for the first time since his 19-8 season in 2018, Severino threw 67 pitches (47 strikes) and limited Los Angeles to two hits over 4.0 scoreless innings.

Severino issued two walks but recorded two strikeouts, nearly touching 99 mph on his fastball while mixing in a healthy dose of sliders and changeups.

The Yankees (98-53, 9.0 GA in AL East) begin their final homestand of the regular season against the Angels (68-82, 29.5 GB in AL West) Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

Dellin Betances and Jordan Montgomery made their season debuts Sunday, but the Yankees fell 6-4 to the Blue Jays and lost the series 2-1. Betances allowed no hits or earned runs and struck out two batter in 0.2 innings pitched, while Montgomery also struck out another two, but allowed three earned runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of relief. Aaron Judge hit his 23rd home run of the season in the first inning. The Yankees' magic number remains at 2 with 11 games to play and are close to securing their first division title since 2012.

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this year, with more than a dozen key players going down. Check back here for the latest updates on the walking wounded.  

10-day IL: David Hale, Aaron Hicks, Jonathan Holder, Mike Tauchman

60-day IL: Jacoby Ellsbury, Greg Bird, Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton

Former Yankees closer and recent Hall of Fame inductee Mariano Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Free by President Donald Trump on Monday. 

The award is the nation's highest civilian honor, which Rivera earns after becoming the first player ever unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. 

Rivera was presented the award during a ceremony at the White House, which also included a tribute to his walkout song, "Enter Sandman," as the President and pitcher entered the room while the song played. 

If you're an observer, Yankees-Astros is the playoff series you want and you want it to last as long as possible. Sign us up for a rematch of the 2017 ALCS and let those two behemoths swing away for seven games. The record books can sort it all out.

However, if you're mainly interested in Yankee fortunes, well, it might be best if the Astros encounter an upset in the ALDS. Not that the Yankees can't beat them, but facing that lineup, backed by the mega-rotation of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke is not exactly apple picking on a cool October afternoon.

With that in mind, here are some potential pinstriped playoff scenarios to mull over during the final few weeks of the season. It's not too early to start thinking about these things. The Astros and Yankees are already battling in a preliminary that could have real impact on next month -- who finishes with the AL's best record and gets home-field advantage.

With just two and a half weeks until the playoffs get underway, Jordan Montgomery and Dellin Betances have little time to shake off the rust if they want to appear on the Yankees' postseason roster.

But both pitchers took the next step in their journey to fully recover from injury on Sunday, appearing on a big league mound for the first time in the 2019 season.

The Yankees dropped the final game of their three-game series with Blue Jays on Sunday, losing by a final score of 6-4. >> Box Score

Four takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) The Yankee pitching staff struggled early on Sunday, as four pitchers combined to give up six runs over the first five innings. Chad Green was effective as the opener, but Jordan Montgomery's 2019 debut was a battle, as the left-hander allowed three runs on four hits over two innings. Dellin Betances also made his first appearance of the season and he was excellent, striking out both batters he faced. But Betances gave way to Nestor Cortes Jr., who allowed a three-run homer to Randal Grichuk, the outfielder's second home run of the game.

The Yankees (98-52, 9.0 GA in AL East) wrap up their three-game series with the Blue Jays (58-91, 39.5 GB in AL East) at 1:07 p.m. at Rogers Centre on Sunday.

Yankees notes

James Paxton won his ninth straight game in Saturday's 13-3 win over the Blue Jays... The Yankees hit four homers in Saturday's win, courtesy of Brett Gardner, Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit and Mike Ford. Every Yankee starter had a hit in the game, as they collected 19 in total... With 37 home runs, Torres is tied with Nelson Cruz for third in the American League.

Rewind the tape to the beginning of this season. 

The Yankees entered the year with a starting outfield of Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Aaron Judge, from left to right. 

Brett Gardner, in his age 36 season, was thought of as a role player, someone who could start in the outfield every now and then, and maybe enter the game as a pinch runner or a defense replacement. 

Fast forward to the present day, where Gardner has set a career high with 25 home runs and a .483 slugging percentage in 129 games played of the Yankees' 150.

The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 13-3 on Saturday afternoon in Toronto. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game...

1) 

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The Yankees (97-52, 9.0 GA in AL East) continue their three-game series with the Blue Jays (58-90, 38.5 GB in AL East) at 3:07 p.m. inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Yankees notes

The lineup shuffles for the Yankees after they suffered their 6-5 loss in 12 innings to the Blue Jays late Friday night. Among the notables, RF Aaron Judge is back in the two spot after he sat out -- until a pinch-hit strikeout in the top of the 12th inning -- as a precautionary move following his collision into the right-field wall during Thursday's doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. Cameron Maybin, who replaced Judge in Friday's starting lineup, slides back to LF in favor of Clint Frazier after an 0-for-5 night in RF. Without Gary Sanchez until -- likely -- the end of the month as he recovers from his pulled left groin Thursday, the Yankees give C Kyle Higashioka the nod behind the dish after Austin Romine spent all 12 innings as the team's backstop Friday. Didi Gregorius gets the day off, sliding SS Gleyber Torres in the middle infield and giving 2B Thairo Estrada his first start since Aug. 17 before he suffered a calf injury.

RF Aaron Judge was available to play Friday against the Blue Jays as the Yankees started the weekend's three-game series at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, but manager Aaron Boone erred on the side of caution before first pitch.

The Yankees replaced Judge with Cameron Maybin in New York's 6-5 loss (12 innings) to the Blue Jays, giving one of the team's top bats the night off until the final frame.

Pinch-hitting for Tyler Wade, who was the pinch-runner for Luke Voit after the DH's two-out walk in the top of the ninth inning, Judge struckout.

The Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 6-5 in 12 innings on Friday night in Toronto. >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Friday's game...

1) With the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 12th inning, Tyler Lyons allowed a solo home run to Bo Bichette, giving the Blue Jays a walk-off 6-5 win. For Bichette, the blast was his 11th of his impressive rookie season. 

2) Masahiro Tanaka breezed through the first inning, striking out two, but the Blue Jays took the first lead of the night in the second, as Randal Grichuk blasted his 26th home run of the season to put the Yankees in an early 1-0 hole. Tanaka then allowed two more runs in the fourth inning and another run was charged to him in the fifth. His night came to an end after five. His line was not very inspiring, as he allowed four earned on eight hits through five.

The Yankees (97-51, 10.0 GA in AL East) start a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays (57-90, 39.5 GB in AL East) at 7:07 p.m. at the Rogers Centre.

Yankees notes

The Yankees won both ends of their doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. They won the first game 10-4, thanks to two two-run homers from Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion. In the second game of the day, the Yanks won 6-4 after CC Sabathia and Domingo German both struck out five batters. Encarnacion left the first game with a strained left oblique, while J.A. Happ left with bicep tendinitis. Then in the second game, Gary Sanchez left with left groin tightness, and RHP Tommy Kahnle injured his finger in a dugout incident.

Near the end of a year in which the Yankees have been decimated by injuries, including three during Thursday's doubleheader sweep over the Detroit Tigers, New York nearly experienced another one.

After the Yankees' 6-4 victory against the Tigers in the second game Thursday, RHP Tommy Kahnle needed to meet with the Yankees' trainer.

Kahnle entered for RHP Domingo German in the bottom of the eighth inning and worked the Yankees out of trouble, getting Christin Stewart to line into a double play before returning for the following frame.

Despite sweeping their doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, the Yankees suffered a couple tough losses.

Three, to be exact.

Edwin Encarnacion left the first game with a strained left oblique, while J.A. Happ left the same game with bicep tendinitis.

The Yankees got out to an early lead thanks to an Aaron Judge home run in their 6-4 win over the Tigers in Game 2 of the team's doubleheader. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's Game 2...

1) CC Sabathia threw 56 pitches in just 3.1 innings during his first start since returning from the IL. The lefty allowed only two earned runs on three hits, ands struck out five batters. Domingo German then came in and struck out five batters on two hits, as he threw 50 pitches in four innings of work.

The Yankees (96-51, 9.0 GA in AL East) take on the Detroit Tigers (43-101, 45.5 GB in AL Central) at Comerica Park for the second game of a Thursday doubleheader.

Yankees notes

Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion both homered for the Yankees in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader, a 10-4 Yankees win. ... Encarnacion was pulled from the first game due to a left oblique strain, with the team announcing that he would head back to New York for more tests. ... DJ LeMahieu went 0-for-6 with strikeouts in Game 1. ... The Yankees moved ahead of the Twins for the most home runs hit as a team this season (278).

The Yankees jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking down the Tigers on their home field, 10-4, in Game 1 of the team's doubleheader. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Thursday's Game 1...

1) J.A. Happ was looking to continue his hot streak on the mound lately, and though it wasn't the scoreless innings he posted in his last two outings, it was a decent start for the lefty. Over 4.2 innings, Happ allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six. He also let up one homer in his 99-pitch start. 

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

After Game 1 of last year's division series loss to Boston, Aaron Boone had some cleaning up to do with his starting pitcher.

J.A. Happ, who had been removed with no outs in the third inning, was in Boone's office, and he was angry. He felt he should have had the chance to turn his performance around and save the bullpen.

But as Happ sat in a chair in the tiny room at Fenway, Boone and pitching coach Larry Rothschild calmly explained their rationale: They had a strong relief corps, were unwilling to let the game get away from them, and preferred other matchups in that inning. Happ left the office satisfied, and appreciative of the open exchange.

Anthony McCarron, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Back in spring training, Yankees bigwigs noticed that Gleyber Torres was "really launching the ball," as GM Brian Cashman puts it. But not even the most optimistic Torres observers expected the infielder's power surge this season.

Entering Thursday's doubleheader in Detroit, Torres has 36 home runs, the most of any middle infielder in baseball. But slugging is only part of what's, ahem, launched the 22-year-old into the conversation about the best young stars in baseball.

The Yankees (95-51, 8.5 GA in AL East) take on the Detroit Tigers (43-100, 45.0 GB in AL Central, 41.0 GB for second Wild Card) at Comerica Park for the first game of a Thursday doubleheader at 1:10 pm.

Yankees notes

The Yankees are 7-3 in their last 10 games. ... The Yankees slammed six home runs in their 12-11 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday. ... The Yankees are not starting Gary Sanchez or Gleyber Torres in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader. ... Edwin Encarnacion and Luke Voit both have one career home run off of Tigers starter Matthew Boyd.

Yankees RHP Luis Severino is finally set to make his season debut on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Angels, according to Aaron Boone.

Severino has been on the IL all season, dealing with shoulder and lat issues. He has been progressing really well in his rehab recently, and after checking off all the boxes, the Yankees are ready to bring him back to the Bronx. 

The 25-year-old pitched in his last rehab start last night with Double-A Trenton, where he was solid. Four runs may have been on the board, but only one was earned and he recorded four strikeouts over 64 pitches (47 strikes) in 2.1 innings. Reports also had Severino's fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s with it topping out at 98 mph. 

Game 2 of the Yankees' three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Wednesday has been postponed, the team announced. The two teams will push the missed game back to Thursday and play a doubleheader.

Prior to the game, thunderstorms were already forcing the Tigers to request fans to leave their seats and head for cover with storms projected to hit the area for an extensive time period on Wednesday evening. 

The two sides were already scheduled to meet on Thursday.

The Yankees (95-51, 8.5 GA in AL East) jumped out to a six-run lead before a back-and-forth game ensued, ultimately suffering a 12-11 loss to the Tigers (43-100, 45.5 GB in AL Central, 40.5 GB for second Wild Card) Tuesday at Comerica Park in Detroit. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Tuesday's game

1) Pitching ultimately failed the Yankees. LHP Nestor Cortes Jr. (5-0, 5.23 ERA) initially came out strong as the Yankees' opener, pitching a pair of scoreless innings in his first career start before he went back out for the third frame and ran into trouble. The Tigers caught up and tagged Cortes, who struckout two and walked one, for four runs (two earned) on six hits before manager Aaron Boone made the move to remove the southpaw with one out in the third inning and the Yankees leading 6-2.

When James Paxton handed the ball off to manager Aaron Boone after yet another solid start on Monday, he may have walked off the Fenway Park diamond as the Yankees' Game 1 ALDS starter. 

Of course, Boone and the Yankees still have time to think about that, but with the way Paxton has been pitching -- and how the Yankees hit when he's on the mound -- it seems like the right choice to make. 

Paxton pitched to the tune of no runs allowed on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over 6.2 innings of work. His previous outing was even better with just one hit allowed with 12 strikeouts over seven innings against the Rangers in the Bronx. 

After they took their four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox last Friday through Monday, the Yankees (95-50, 9.0 GA in AL East) hit the middle of their 10-game road trip with Tuesday's 6:40 p.m. start vs. the Detroit Tigers (42-100, 45.5 GB in AL Central, 41.0 GB for second Wild Card) at Comerica Park.

Yankees notes

Since they dropped three straight games in an Aug. 20-22 sweep against the Athletics in Oakland, the Yankees have won their past five series. The Yankees dropped last Friday's series opener to Red Sox but then proceeded to bury their rivals as they won the past three games by a 20-6 margin and eliminated Boston mathematically from AL East contention. They did their damage in Monday's series finale, a 5-0 shutout, behind a pair of solo home runs to get on the board -- Austin Romine's fifth-inning shot down the right-field line and Gio Urshela's seven-inning bomb over the left-field Green Monster -- before DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres tacked on a run apiece in the seventh and Luke Voit added another in the ninth.

James Paxton held the Red Sox off the scoreboard as the Yankees coasted to a 5-0 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Monday's game

1) James Paxton tossed his second consecutive scoreless outing and won his eighth straight start on Monday with another fantastic performance. He allowed just four hits over 6.2 innings, walking three and striking out seven. He hasn't lost a game since July 26, and in the eight starts since has seen his ERA drop from 4.72 to 3.96. His streak of scoreless innings now stands at 15.

The Yankees (94-50, 8.5 GA in AL East) round out their four-game series against the Red Sox (76-67, 17.5 GB in AL East, 8 GB of second wild card) Monday at 7:10 p.m.

Yankees notes

With three home runs in Sunday's win, the Yankees set a franchise record with 268 homers on the season. They surpassed the mark they set just last season with 18 games remaining on the schedule... Gleyber Torres' hit his 35th homer of the season, breaking a tie with Gary Sanchez for the team lead... The Yankees are 64-12 when hitting multiple home runs this season and 35-4 when they have three or more... Gio Urshela returned to the active roster on Sunday and will re-join the starting lineup in Monday's game.

The Yankees' outfield may see yet another player hit the Injured List, as Mike Tauchman had to leave Sunday night's game against the Red Sox early with left calf tightness. 

Tauchman had been dealing with soreness there in the days prior, but it got to the point where he couldn't run any longer -- with head athletic trainer Steve Donahue helping him off the field. 

"I felt it grab up on me," Tauchman told The Post's Dan Martin. "It's incredibly disheartening."

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

On July 12, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told our pal Jim Duquette on Jim's Sirius/XM radio show that top prospect Deivi Garcia was "putting himself in the mix" to help the team this year.

When Cashman made that comment, Garcia had just pitched a scoreless first inning in the Futures Game and earned a promotion to Triple-A. The notion that he could emerge as a 20-year-old phenom and contribute to a World Series run tantalized both the team and its fans.

But in reality, player development is usually a slower burn. The Yankees still see a bright future for Garcia -- their refusal in July to trade him for Zack Wheeler, Marcus Stroman and others is proof of that --  but the righty's numbers for Scranton hardly screamed for an immediate callup: In 40 innings as both a starter and reliever, Garcia was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 45 strikeouts against 20 walks.

Less than a year after helping to guide the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title, Dave Dombrowski was fired late Sunday as president of baseball operations, according to multiple reports.

The firing came hours after Boston's 10-5 loss to the Yankees that dropped them to 76-67 -- 8.0 games behind the Athletics for the second Wild Card spot in the American League and 17.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East.

With 19 games remaining in their season, the Sox are promoting Raquel Ferreira -- who previously served as SVP of major league and minor league operations -- and assistant general managers Eddie Romero, Brian O'Halloran and Zack Scott to lead their baseball operations department on an interim basis, reports ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

The Yankees homered three times en route to an 8-5 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday night at Fenway Park. >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Sunday's game

1) In what has already been a historic season in terms of home run production, the 2019 Yankees put themselves in the franchise record book once again. Aaron Judge's home run in the fifth inning gave the Yankees a 7-4 lead, but was also the team's 268th homer of the season, surpassing the franchise record they set last season. They still have 18 games in the season left to increase that mark.

The Yankees (93-50, 8.0 GA in AL East) play the the third game of their four-game wraparound series against the Red Sox (76-66, 16.5 GB in AL East, 7.0 GB for second Wild Card) Sunday at 8:05 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Yankees notes

Edwin Encarnacion hit his second homer since returning from the IL on Saturday and also added a double, going 2-for-5 with three RBI... Gary Sanchez already has a career high in home runs and after two RBI on Saturday, needs 14 more to eclipse his career-best of 90... At .328, DJ LeMahieu is second in the American League in batting average, trailing Tim Anderson of the White Sox... Gio Urshela has been activated from the injured list, though he is not in Sunday's starting lineup. 

More reinforcements are on the way from the IL for the Yankees. 

The team announced on Sunday, ahead of the team's 8 p.m. matchup against the Red Sox, that Gio Urshela is coming off the 10-day IL and Thairo Estrada will be reinstated as well. 

Urshela has been out since Aug. 30 after suffering a groin strain. Those injuries are always tricky to work with, so the Yankees were cautious with him here. 

The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 5-1 on Saturday at Fenway Park. >> Box Score

Four takeaways from Saturday's game

1) Saturday's start was exactly what J.A. Happ needed. While his 2019 season has been very up and down, Happ was dominant on Saturday. In 6.1 innings, Happ allowed only two hits while striking out seven and walking just one. After his six shutout-inning performance against Oakland his last time out, Happ is now up to 15.1 consecutive scoreless innings. Happ was at one point an afterthought for the Yankees' postseason rotation, but now he may be pitching himself back into a playoff spot. 

The Yankees (92-50, 8.5 GA in AL East) continue their four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox (76-65, 15.5 GB in AL East, 6.0 GB for second Wild Card) Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Yankees notes

After the Red Sox roughed up RHP Domingo German (17-4, 4.21 ERA) for five runs on three hits and four walks to five strikeouts in Friday's 6-1 loss, the Yankees try to bounce back with a better sense of urgency -- on the mound and at the plate. The Red Sox held the Yankees to three hits, with the only run coming on CF Brett Gardner's fifth-inning solo shot. Eight of the 10 Yankees to make plate appearances went hitless. SS Didi Gregorious (1 for 4 with a double) and Gardner (2 for 3) were the exceptions.

The Yankees offense struggled to get anything going in their 6-1 loss to the Red Sox on Friday night at Fenway Park. >> Box Score

Four takeaways from Friday's game

1) Domingo German's night was cut short after 92 pitches in just 4.1 innings, as the righty was unable to get his 18th win of the season. He gave up five earned runs on three hits, while striking out five and walking four. German gave up a three-run homer to Red Sox 1B Mitch Moreland with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, it was his 15th home run of the season.

The Yankees (92-49, 9.5 GA in AL East) hit the road for 10 games as they start their trip with Friday's four-game series against the rival Boston Red Sox (75-65, 16.5 GB in AL East, 6.5 GB for second Wild Card) at 7:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Yankees notes

Winners in eight of their past 10 games, the Yankees hit the road through next weekend after they won three-game series against the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. In each of those sets, the Yankees dropped the opener before they bounced back and took their final two contests. The successful six-game homestand followed the Yankees' road series victories vs. the Dodgers and Mariners, taking two out of three against Los Angeles and sweeping Seattle.

Sonny Gray's season and a half with the Yankees did not go as planned.

In 34 regular season starts as a Yankee, Gray struggled to find consistency, pitching to a 4.51 ERA with a WHIP of 1.416. Gray eventually lost his spot in the starting rotation, and never seemed to be comfortable pitching in Yankee Stadium, where he had a 7.71 ERA during the 2018 season. 

The right-hander was traded to the Reds prior to this season, and it seems as if he's turned things around during his first season in Cincinnati.

Wednesday night was a reminder to Yankees fans why manager Aaron Boone might opt to use an opener this postseason. 

Bullpen arm Chad Green, who has been used in this spot 13 times this season, took the mound for only the first two innings where he allowed just two hits and didn't let up a run before passing things off to Luis Cessa for the next three. 

It's performances like this from Green that makes this a real conversation between Boone and GM Brian Cashman when it's time to put together a postseason strategy.

The Yankees' top three rotation options -- James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and Domingo German -- could be a solid group. But with Tanaka's inconsistency of late and German's postseason inexperience mixed with his potential innings limit, an opener could be an option to fill the gap. 

The Yankees found a diamond in the rough when they pried Luke Voit away from the Cardinals in a trade that sent Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos to St. Louis in June of 2018.

While Voit has been a tremendous pickup for the Yankees, Gallegos has turned into one of the best relievers in baseball this season, as MLBTradeRumors touched on earlier this week.

The 28-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.27 ERA (2.76 FIP) and 0.79 WHIP while striking out 84 in 63.1 innings (11.94 per 9) this season for the Cardinals, who are leading the NL Central.

The Yankees used six different pitchers during their 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night, and improved to 11-2 on the season when using an opener.

After the game, manager Aaron Boone was asked if the team would consider using an opener in the playoffs based off the team's success with that strategy so far this season.

"That kind of scenario is certainly possible," Boone said.

The Yankees hit two home runs in their 4-1 win over the Rangers on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. >> Box Score

Four takeaways from Wednesday's game

1) The Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, thanks to a two-run blast from Aaron Judge. It was Judge's 20th home run of the season and brought his RBI total to 45 on the year. The team then extended their lead to 3-0 when Gelyber Torres hit his 34th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Yankees (91-49, 9.5 GA in AL East) wrap up their three-game series with the Rangers (68-72, 22.0 GB in AL West, 12.5 GB for second Wild Card) Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees notes

The Yankees rebounded from their first shutout in 220 games to beat the Rangers 10-1 on Tuesday night. The team hit a total of five home runs, thanks to two from Gary Sanchez, and one each from Didi Gregorius, Brett Gardner, and Edwin Encarnacion. It was Encarnacion's 31st homer of the year, and his first game since a fractured wrist that had kept him out since Aug. 3. Starting pitcher James Paxton tossed 7.0 shutout innings of one-hit baseball and tied his season-high with 12 strikeouts.

Down in Triple-A, an insane game between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and Syracuse Mets Tuesday resulted in the Yankees affiliate fighting all the back for a 14-13 victory to move on to the postseason in a one-game playoff.

And one of the bigger storylines surfacing from that bout was Yankees top prospect Deivi Garcia pitching lights out from the bullpen. 

Garcia has been fast-tracked through the Yanks' farm system this season, starting in High-A ball and moving up to Triple-A now. He has seen some struggles early on in a starting role, but he was moved to the bullpen in preparation for a possible call-up to the bigs.