'Boomer And Gio': Will Yankees Benefit From Wednesday Rainout?

Related

Will Wednesday's rainout prove to be a benefit for the Yankees?

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros was pushed back to Thursday, while the teams will now play Friday, previously a scheduled travel day.  

The postponement means that instead of relying on their bullpen for all of Game 4, the Yanks will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound against Zack Greinke. Friday's starters will be New York left-hander James Paxton and Houston ace Justin Verlander.

"The debate rages on whether or not it's a good thing or a bad thing for the Yankees," WFAN's Gregg Giannotti said on Thursday's "Boomer and Gio" show. "And I think it's a little bit of both depending on how these games go. If you're going to tell me that Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton are going to pitch great and are going to pitch deep into games, then hell yeah, that's a benefit for the Yankees. 

"But if you tell me that these guys are not going to be good and Aaron Boone's got to go right back to the bullpen again in some short outings and you've got four games in four days, then yeah, it's not going to work out for them. But I love the fact that the Yankees have an opportunity to even this series at home with their best pitcher on the mound and a guy that you trust in Masahiro Tanaka."

Gio added that he likes that the rainout means the Yankees will face Verlander at home rather than in Houston.

Meanwhile, Boomer Esiason, Giannotti's co-host, said the playoffs have reminded us once again how valuable it is to have three quality starting pitchers, which gives the Astros an advantage. He added that the loss of Yankees 18-game winner Domingo German, on administrative leave amid a domestic violence investigation, is being felt.

Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Images

"This time of year, man, once again it shows the reality of what Major League Baseball is," Esiason said. "It is really about top-end, good starting pitching. You can have a great bullpen, which is what the Yankees have. But ... every time  you go to the bullpen,  it means you're bringing in another guy, and that guy may be off that day. If you have your starting pitcher and he's a consistent top-end, starting pitcher, nine times out of 10 he's going to give you the quality start that you want. And you can always count on that, and he's going to eat up maybe, I don't know, 21 to 24 outs. 

"That's why when we get to this point in the season -- and I think most people have been harping on the starting pitching of the Yankees backed up by this bullpen that's going to be overused ... it really starts to rear its ugly head." 

To listen to the open from Thursday's "Boomer and Gio" show, click on the audio player above.