It’s time to go. The Yankees hold a 2-1 lead over the Royals in the ALDS and will send their ace to the mound tonight with a chance to clinch a spot in the ALCS. There’s no point in messing around with a potential Game 5; The Yankees expect Gerrit Cole to push here and now and so on.

They have announced the lineup they will release for Game 4, with minimal changes from last night:

2B Gleyber Torres
RF Juan Soto
CF Aaron Richter
C Austin Wells
DH Giancarlo Stanton
3B Jazz Chisholm Jr.
SS Anthony Volpe
LF Alex Verdugo
1B Jon Berti

The difference in the lineup from Game 3 is the reinsertion of Jon Berti in place of Oswaldo Cabrera. The veteran infielder started at first base in Game 2, the first time he had ever played that position. He did shockingly well, pulling off a series of brilliant defensive plays, including a couple of missed throws and a crucial unassisted double play.

Otherwise everything goes as usual. Giancarlo Stanton returns to fifth after his monster performance in Game 3, while Alex Verdugo continues to be preferred over Jasson Domínguez in left field.

It hasn’t been a brilliant series for the Yankee team so far, but they still have a great chance of advancing. They won Game 1 without a standout performance from Cole, and if either he or his offense can recover, there’s little reason why the Yankees should lose this game. Execution from the Yankees’ best players should be enough to win tonight.