Schlittler faces Peralta as Yankees seek an ALDS split in Tampa Bay

Cam Schlittler starts for the Yankees against Freddy Peralta on Monday night as New York tries to even its Division Series with Tampa Bay. The Rays lead the best-of-five matchup 1-0 after winning Saturday’s opener by that score.

Game 2 begins at 8 p.m. Eastern at Tropicana Field. TBS, truTV and HBO Max carry the game, with Spanish-language coverage on UniMas.

The Yankees need an offensive response after managing one hit in the opener. The confirmed lineup keeps Ryan McMahon at third base and Ben Rice at designated hitter, with Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr. immediately behind Rice in the order. Aaron Judge remains off the ALDS roster as he recovers from a right calf strain.

Schlittler gives New York a strong starting point. Anthony McCarron’s Monday report for SNY notes his 0.87 ERA and 24-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 20 2/3 career postseason innings. His most recent outing against Boston also showed a different way to finish hitters: the curveball accounted for four of his 10 strikeouts.

That makes pitch selection one of the useful details to watch Monday. Tampa Bay has experience against Schlittler, and manager Kevin Cash discussed the need to avoid chasing his elevated four-seam fastball. Whether the right-hander mixes in the curve as aggressively gives the matchup a question beyond his recent results.

Peralta arrives with his own strong finish. He went 5-0 with a 0.79 ERA over his final six regular-season starts. He also posted a 1.69 ERA across his last four home starts, according to the MLB preview.

The Rays have a rested bullpen behind him after Drew Rasmussen worked eight innings in Game 1 and Bryan Baker closed the ninth. The additional day off leaves Tampa Bay well placed to respond if Peralta’s outing is shorter.

A Yankees win would send the series to New York tied. Another Rays victory would leave the Yankees needing three consecutive wins. Monday’s first question is whether their hitters can produce enough traffic to support Schlittler against a pitcher finishing the season in excellent form.