NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have spent the last nine days making up ground on the Boston Red Sox by taking advantage of a scheduled loaded with out-of-contention teams.On Monday http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , the rebuilding Chicago White Sox will look to stay hot and prove to the Yankees they’re far different from the teams New York has been feasting upon lately.A pair of surging squads will face off Monday night when the Yankees host the White Sox in the opener of a four-game series. New York right-hander Masahiro Tanaka (9-4, 3.90 ERA) is scheduled to oppose Chicago left-hander Carlos Rodon (5-3, 2.71).Article continues below ...Both teams continued their winning ways Sunday, when the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the host Baltimore Orioles with a 5-3 win while the visiting White Sox won their third straight against the Detroit Tigers by notching a 7-2 victory.While hosting the American League wild-card game has long been a near-certainty for the Yankees (83-47), their 8-1 run against the Orioles, Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays has given them at least a flickering hope of winning the AL East.With Sunday’s win, the Yankees moved within six games of the Boston Red Sox, who were swept for the first time this season when the Tampa Bay Rays took three straight games over the weekend. It is the smallest gap between the two rivals since Boston had a 5 1/2-gane lead Aug. 1.The Yankees and Red Sox play six times over the season’s final two weeks, but following Sunday night’s game, New York manager Aaron Boone made it clear he wasn’t looking any further than the White Sox.“I thought guys really grinded to hang on there,” Boone said of the Yankees, whose sweep of the Orioles included a pair of wins in a doubleheader Saturday. “Hopefully we can get some guys some rest and start a big series (Monday) against a really hot pitcher for the White Sox.”Rodon isn’t the only one thriving for the White Sox (51-79), who have won nine of 12 to move within 1 1/2 games of the third-place Tigers in the AL Central.The White Sox has remained hot despite the absence of All-Star first baseman Jose Abreu, who has been out since Tuesday because of groin and abdomen injuries that required surgery. Abreu is expected to return before the end of the season.“You have to give them all the credit in the world because they’re picking each other up Michael Wacha Jersey , knowing where we’re at without ‘Pito’,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria told reporters Sunday, referring to Abreu’s nickname. “They’re not trying to do too much and hopefully, knock on wood, it continues.”Tanaka didn’t factor into the decision after giving up one run over six innings in the Yankees’ 2-1, 12-inning win over the Marlins. Tanaka, who is 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts this month, is 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in five career starts versus Chicago.Rodon won his second straight start and his fourth consecutive decision Wednesday, when he allowed two runs over six innings as the White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2. He is 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA in eight starts since his most recent loss June 30.Rodon is 1-3 with a 7.11 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees. Aside from the departure of Adam Ottavino, not much has changed for the Rockies relief corps"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Scaling the RocksPebble ReportRockpileRockies Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceRockies State of the PositionRockies bullpen will have a familiar look in 2019New,26commentsAside from the departure of Adam Ottavino, not much has changed for the Rockies relief corpsMSTShareTweetShareShareRockies bullpen will have a familiar look in 2019Unlike last offseason when they went on a $100-million-plus bullpen spending spree, the Rockies did not add a single reliever this offseason, instead deciding to rely on internal options to improve and make up for a big loss.A big hole was opened in the Rockies bullpen when Adam Ottavino signed a three-year Ozzie Smith Jersey , $27 million contract with the Yankees in January. Ottavino was the Rockies’ primary setup man in 2018, posting a 2.43 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 112 strikeouts in 77 2鈦? innings. He will be missed, but the Rockies do have plenty of late-inning options, especially right-handed ones.The closerFor the second straight season the Rockies closer will be veteran Wade Davis. After signing a three-year, $52 million contract prior to the 2018 season, Davis went out and led the NL in saves with 43, also a Rockies record for a single season. He posted a 4.13 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 651鈦? innings with 78 strikeouts. Also, he was nails when the Rockies needed him most, posting a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings in September. Needless to say, the Rockies are in good hands in the ninth inning in 2019.Late-inning optionsThe most likely candidate to replace Ottavino in the eighth inning role is fellow right-hander, and also probably their best reliever, Scott Oberg. Oberg was absolutely electric after returning from a stint with Triple-A Albuquerque, posting a 1.51 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 47 2鈦? innings after his minors trip. He also struck out 47, walked just seven and allowed opposing hitters a paltry .196/.233/.301 line with only nine extra-base hits allowed to the 176 batters he faced.The other righty in the late-inning mix is veteran Seunghwan Oh. Acquired from Toronto in July Albert Pujols Jersey , Oh pitched 25 games for the Rockies after the trade with a 2.53 ERA. He also handled Coors Field well, allowing five earned runs in 11 2鈦? innings at altitude, holding opposing hitters to a .209 average in his new home,If the Rockies need a late-inning lefty, the task will likely fall to Jake McGee. McGee’s three years with the Rockies have been up-and-down, with 2018 featuring more of the down to the tune of a 6.49 ERA. If McGee can regain his 2017 form, however, he looks like a solid late-inning option.DepthThree veterans who had rough years in 2018 are currently slated for bullpen roles on Opening Day, though they will likely feature in lower-leverage situations. After a great run in Cleveland from 2014-17, righty Bryan Shaw struggled in his first season with the Rockies last year, with a 5.93 ERA and several prominent meltdowns. Lefty Chris Rusin had been solid throughout his Rockies career, but had issues with his command in 2018 with an ERA north of six. Fellow lefty Mike Dunn will look to rebound from an injury-plagued 2018 season that saw him pitch just 17 innings with an ERA of 9.00.Other less veteran-y depth options include a pair of homegrown righties who dealt with injuries in 2018 in Carlos Estevez and Rayan Gonzalez.Long reliefOne of the losers from the battle for the Rockies fifth starting rotation spot will likely fill a long relief role in 2018. Perhaps best-suited as a long reliever is 24-year-old Antonio Senzatela. In 41 innings of relief in his career, Senzatela has posted a 4.39 ERA and a 3.09 FIP, as opposed to a 4.60 ERA and 4.66 FIP as a starter. Chad Bettis and Jeff Hoffman could also find themselves in long relief http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-marcell-ozuna-jersey , though they do not have the track records out of the bullpen that Senzatela does.On the farmIf a young reliever is going to make an Oberg-like leap in 2019, the most likely candidate is 24-year-old Yency Almonte. Almonte made his big league debut in 2018 with a splash, striking out 15 and recording a 1.82 ERA in 14 2鈦? innings. Also on the radar is flamethrowing righty Justin Lawrence, who jumped onto the scene with 75 strikeouts in 65 innings between High-A Lancaster and the Arizona Fall League last season while regularly pinging triple digits on the radar gun.Other longer-term options include 2016 second-round pick Ben Bowden, noted piece in the Troy Tulowitzki trade Jesus Tinoco and 2017 draftee Tommy Doyle.Despite the departure of Ottavino, the Rockies’ bullpen looks to be in good shape, with a mix of consistent, veterans, bounce back candidates, and young arms.