Rays silence Yankees 1-0 in Game 1; can Schlittler force a split?

The Tampa Bay Rays have thrown the first punch. A 1-0 shutout victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series has flipped the script, sending the Bronx Bombers into an early hole. Now, the Yankees turn to their ace, Cam Schlittler, to do what aces do: level the series and steal back home-field advantage.

But the question that hangs over Tropicana Field — and every Yankees fan's living room — is whether Schlittler can truly force a split. The numbers say he has a shot. The pressure says he has no choice.

According to the source, Schlittler is a Cy Young candidate, and for good reason. He has recorded at least seven strikeouts in five of his last seven starts. That's not a hot streak; that's a pattern. And against the Rays specifically, he owns a career 2.67 ERA with 34 strikeouts in five starts. Those are the kind of numbers that make a manager sleep a little easier at night.

New York's bats, however, were asleep in Game 1. A single run was all the Rays needed, and that's the kind of margin that haunts a lineup. The Yankees can't afford another quiet night at the plate, and they can't afford base-running blunders — the source explicitly warns that New York needs a clean, aggressive game to come out on top.