Did Yankees just drop big hint who will start Wild Card Game?

Yankees likely will be playing in the AL Wild Card Game on Oct. 3.

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Larry Rothschild already are looking two weeks into the future.

They have to think forward because the Yanks are close to clinching a Wild Card playoff berth and they’re going to need a starting pitcher for the Wild Card Game, which probably will be a Yankees-Oakland Athletics matchup.

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For the time being, hot left-hander J.A. Happ is lined up to start the win-or-go-home playoff game on Tuesday Oct. 3.

Look for a switch to an even hotter starter. Righty Masahiro Tanaka is lined up to pitch the Yanks’ regular-season finale on Sept. 30, but he easily could be pushed back with some final-week rotation tinkering.

Before the Yankees-Red Sox game on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, Boone seemed to be dropping a big hint when he was asked if he’ll also think about a possible Division Series rotation when choosing a Wild Card starter.

“I think you have to strike a little bit of a balance there,” Boone said.

That was the big hint. If the Yankees win the Wild Card Game, they’ll advance to a best-of-five Division Series against the soon-to-be-crowned AL East champion Red Sox and Happ has had a lot of success against Boston this year and throughout his career.

Tanaka, who will start against the Red Sox on Thursday night, is 12-5 with a 3.57 ERA in 25 starts this season. He’s 5-3 with a 2.15 ERA over his last 11 outings and 3-0 with an 0.43 ERA in his last three.

Happ is 16-6 with a 3.62 ERA in 29 starts and 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts since he was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the Yankees on July 26. 

If the Yankees get through the Wild Card Game with Tanaka starting, Happ would be lined up to pitch Game 1 and Game 5 of the Division Series in Boston.

Happ is 0-1 with an 0.54 ERA in three starts this season against the Red Sox and on Tuesday night he held them to an unearned run over six innings in a 3-2 Yankees win in which he received a no-decision. He’s 7-4 with a 2.82 against the Red Sox in 20 career games, 19 starts, and 4-2 with a 2.91 ERA at Fenway Park in nine games, eight as a starter.

The Yankees probably will finalize their plans only they clinch a Wild Card berth and once they know their opponent. Through Tuesday, the Yanks had a 2 1/2-game lead on Oakland for the first Wild Card and the A’s held a five-game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the second Wild Card.

“The biggest thing that does come about is that (Wild Card) game, you’re going to do obviously everything you can that you think is right to win that game,” Boone said. “That said, if you’re toiling with a couple of decisions, then maybe the next (series) does come into play a little bit. If we think this may be good, this may be good, this may be good, what’s the best for going into the next (series)? That could factor a little bit in there too.

“But I think for the most part you’re going to pour everything you can into that one game, obviously, with no tomorrow.”

Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.