For a bullpen that has three (heavily used) sure things and a whole lot of question marks behind them entering the playoffs, Will Warren is trying to become one of the answers the Yankees will need to find.
The right-handed starter made his final regular-season appearance out of the bullpen Friday and delivered 3 ¹/₃ scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 6-3 win over the Orioles to split the doubleheader, as he prepares for a relief role in the AL Wild Card Series and beyond.
Warren recorded seven of his 11 outs via the strikeout, racking up 13 whiffs on 28 swings and flashing the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that could be valuable in the Yankees bullpen.
“He can be big for us moving forward in the postseason, and in different roles,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees know they have workhorses Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn to form the bridge to David Bednar in the ninth inning, but they could certainly use more help. Warren has a chance to offer it, especially as his velocity and stuff has ticked up over the past month.
“I feel like as a starter, you’re supposed to get both sides of the plate out, so I think that would be pretty big for us,” said Warren, who finished the season with a 3.92 ERA. “You see Blackburn do it, you see Headrick do it, so whenever my name’s called, I’ll be ready to go.”
The club kept Warren to 54 pitches Friday in his third relief appearance of the season, ensuring he will be available on Tuesday for Game 1 against the Red Sox while also offering some length if needed.
“I felt good — a little less blackout this time,” Warren joked, referring to his bullpen cameo earlier this month against the Padres.
On a day when the wind from the incoming nor’easter wreaked some havoc, the Yankees (93-68) dropped the first game of the doubleheader 10-2 before taking the nightcap. Whether they actually play Game 162 on Sunday remains to be seen, with the forecast iffy, but their bats came alive in the second half of the twin bill, including a two-run double from Anthony Volpe and two hits apiece from Ben Rice and Ryan McMahon.
Former Met Pete Alonso crushed a pair of home runs for the Orioles (79-82) in Game 1 — including a 471-foot shot that cut through the wind blowing in — to move into sole possession of the American League lead with 43 on the year.
The Yankees also had some questionable outfield defense in both ends of the doubleheader, windy or not. In Game 1, Spencer Jones could not track down a fly ball to center field, as it hit off his glove and turned into an inside-the-park home run for Jeremiah Jackson. In Game 2, right fielder Heliot Ramos simply dropped a fly ball to right field.
