The Opener: Rays, White Sox, Yamamoto

The Yankees dropped Game 2 on Monday in large part due to poor defense. They became the first team since 2010 to have more players make an error than get a hit (h/t OptaSTATS on X). 1. Rays beat Schlittler for 2-0 lead With their patented brand of small ball and contact, Tampa Bay overcame AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler to take a commanding lead in the ALDS. Schlittler managed just two strikeouts, his fewest in any start this season. He wasn’t nearly as sharp as in his Wild Card outing against the Red Sox. The shoddy glovework behind him certainly didn’t help. Tampa Bay’s lineup continues to put pressure on New York. “We want to be suffocating as an offense on opposing pitchers and defenses,” Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson said (h/t Will Sammon of The Athletic). “Because everybody we have has the ability to get on base, put the ball in play.” 2. White Sox fend off Williams Chicago also beat an ace to take a 2-0 series lead. The White Sox pushed across two runs against Gavin Williams to erase an early deficit. More importantly, they made him throw 98 pitches in five innings. Williams struck out 11 but was removed after a leadoff single in the sixth inning. That runner would quickly come around to score. Chicago tacked on two more against reliever Erik Sabrowski, giving them a margin the club wouldn’t relinquish. The series now heads to Rate Field. The White Sox have two shots to clinch a playoff series at home for the first time since 1906 (h/t Jon Greenberg of The Athletic). 3. Yamamoto gets the ball for Game 3 Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set for his first postseason appearance since his dazzling 2025 World Series performance. Yamamoto beat the Blue Jays in Game 2 and Game 6 last year. He came back on no rest in Game 7 to earn another win in relief, making him an easy choice for World Series MVP. Yamamoto put together another strong campaign this season. He finished third in ERA in the NL, behind only Jacob Misiorowski and Chris Sale. Yamamoto will match up against Sale tonight. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images View Comments (12)