It’s been tough to put into words how bleak the current situation is for the Yankees. While they built up enough margin for error to stomach the early part of their slide and even kept themselves within striking distance through the end of July, August has been a nightmare on all fronts.
Since the Trade Deadline, the Yankees are 0-5, with three losses being connected in some way to a bullpen meltdown after reinforcing it at the deadline. More concerning: the Red Sox have not only leapfrogged them in the standings, but soared past ’em. Last night, the Mariners jumped them for the second Wild Card. If the Yankees get swept today, they will have their third six-game losing streak of 2025 and fall out of a playoff spot after entering this series 2.5 games ahead of the Rangers. A complete disaster, especially considering they led the AL East just over a month ago.
Looking to stave off the latest chapter of an embarrassing two months is All-Star Carlos Rodón, whose spotty pitching last Friday started this nightmare of a week when he couldn’t do his job with a 6-0 lead, walking five batters and ultimately allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. He enters play with a 3.34 ERA (122 ERA+) and 3.88 FIP with 156 strikeouts in 134.2 innings.
The dog days of summer have not been nice to Carlos, as he’s been shaky since the calendar flipped to July, with the exception of his brilliance against the Cubs. His strikeout stuff is there, striking out 17 in just 10 innings over his last two starts, but he’s walked five in two of his last three starts. In his previous start this season against Texas, he tossed six shutout innings on May 22 and outdueled Nathan Eovaldi.
Jack Leiter takes the mound for the Rangers, as the son of Al and cousin of our very own Mark Leiter Jr., looks to put away the team his family has plenty of connections to. Leiter was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft out of Vanderbilt, but only debuted last season, appearing in nine very rough outings. He’s been better in 2025, posting a 4.10 ERA (90 ERA+) and 4.31 FIP in 19 starts over his real rookie season. The 25-year-old has made one career start against the Yankees, allowing five runs in five innings at Yankee Stadium last September.
The Baseball Savant page for Leiter doesn’t look great, as his walk rate, barrel rate, and ground-ball rate are all well below league average. He sits at 97 on his fastball, potentially helping him mask other issues, while overperforming expected stats. His four-seamer, slider, and sinker all have wOBA’s against under .290, but an xwOBA of .345, .321, and .405, respectively. None of his pitches grade out super well, but opponents are only hitting .184 on his fastball despite an average exit velocity of 91.4 mph.
Aaron Judge stays in the lineup at DH, batting third. That means Giancarlo Stanton will come off the bench again. Volpe will bat seventh against his former high school teammate, while Austin Wells is behind the plate and Ben Rice is batting second at first base.
Lefty killer Sam Haggerty will lead off for Texas, followed by the usual suspects. Old friend Kyle Higashioka will get his first start behind the plate, while former Yankees prospects Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran will bat eighth and ninth, respectively.
Location: Globe Life Field – Arlington, TX
TV broadcast: YES, Rangers Sports Network, Victory+
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY); 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 (TEX)
Online stream: MLB.tv, Gotham Sports App
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