Hour 2: Yanks ALDS Roster options

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This is The Michael Kay Show podcast.

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I got to get more Kay.

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Michael Kay (0:37)

Welcome back to the show everybody. Me and you for two. This is the two, this is the second hour. Then we turn it over to Don Hahn and Rosberg at three. Thank you so much. Another great week for listening on ESPN New York, the ESPN New York app and obviously watching us on the ESPN New York YouTube page presented by the Parisman firm. I got to tell you all a little secret.

The last couple of days on the show, you guys have turned up in record numbers on the YouTube TV Kay Show. It's unbelievable. Shattering records for ESPN New York. We're so proud that you have been there. Obviously, if you're watching us on YouTube, you're listening on the app and on 880 ESPN. The audience is there. We appreciate that. That's why you're the co-host. What other show in this great country of ours allows people that never sent in a resume to actually co-host a big-time show? Thank you so much for everything that you do and for turning out in the numbers that you've turned out. Very, very cool. I can't thank you enough. Yankees in the Rays starts tomorrow, 6.30. First pitch from St. Pete.

I think this is going to be a really, really close series. Yankee fans feeling very confident because of the two games against the Red Sox. As I said earlier, I don't want to pour cold water on that series. But the Red Sox are not that great.

I know that Red Sox Nation now, they're really upset.

They're as upset as they were when they were 14 games under.

So in the last three playoff games that the Red Sox have played, they've scored two runs, two runs.

So it's going to be interesting to see what they do with that team. And they're locked into a manager who really in some way got exposed. He's a neophyte. I think he's going to be a good manager. He comes from a baseball family.

He loves the game. He thinks the game. But removing Sonny Gray after 70 pitches, I mean, they're still complaining about that in Boston. And Sonny Gray is too. And removing Peyton Tolley when his pitch count is in the 80s and bringing the same guy Eric Miller, they are upset in Boston. So the Yankees did what they should do against Boston. They beat the crap out of them. They're better than Boston.

During the regular season, they showed they're better than Boston. Now, they're the ones that let Boston actually become a playoff team when they allowed themselves to get swept in a four game set. When the Red Sox were 14 games under 500, that started the 32 and five run.

So it's the Yankees fault that they even played the Red Sox, but they took care of business quickly. But don't think it's going to be as easy against Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay did not overachieve. Tampa Bay is a legitimate team with legitimate starting pitching and legitimate relievers in the bullpen. I mean, when you could roll out Rasmussen, who's always good, but particularly good against the Yankees in two games in a best of five, you know those games are going to be bears to win. Now the Yankees could counter and say, well, we're rolling out Cam Schlittler in two games. Okay, checkmate, you got it. But the Rays are also rolling out Nick Martinez and a rejuvenated and fixed Freddie Peralta.

So this is a team that has a lot of things that could be potential pitfalls for the Yankees. They have speed, they don't strike out that much, they put the ball in play, they put your defense on defense. They make you make plays, they make you make the play. And if you bobble or boot it, they're going to take advantage of it. That's why my mantra for this series, 27 outs, that's it. You give them 27 outs, you can't give them more. You have got to stop them at 27 If you look up and the Yankees have two errors, that's not good.