BAD NEWS: Lucas Giolito Will Miss The Wild Card Series Against The Yankees And Won't Be Pitching For The Foreseeable Future

Well, that's significant. 

Lucas Giolito, who would have started a potential Game 3 in the best-of-three Wild Card series against the Yankees, will not be on the team's roster for the first round of the playoffs. Alex Cora told the media on Monday that Giolito is dealing with an elbow issue and was scheduled to see a specialist.  

"Hopefully, it's nothing serious," Cora said Monday in New York. 

Not great. 

The veteran right-hander had allowed two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his last 15 starts. He'd been good on the road this season, 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA. It was a while ago, but he had playoff experience, including a 7-inning gem against the A's as a member of the White Sox in Game 1 of that Wild Card series. 

Cora said a potential Game 3 starter would be TBD, mentioning the team has a few young guys who started recently that could be tabbed if that game is necessary. 

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

23-year-old Connelly Early would be pitching on regular rest and seems the most likely starter. The rookie lefty made four starts for the Red Sox down the stretch, going just 1-3 but striking out 29 over 19.1 innings with a 2.33 ERA. He's shown some electric stuff in his brief career and excellent control, walking just four. 

Sox Ace Garrett Crochet had high praise for Early on Monday, saying, "The pitchability is beyond his years… I think he’ll be a huge bolster to the staff in the postseason.” 

Crochet gets the ball in Game 1, after going 3-0 against the Yankees this season. Brayan Bello will start Game 2. 

Dustin May is still in Florida and will not be added to the Wild Card roster, per Cora. 

I guess you can argue that it would be a Game 3 all-hands-on-deck scenario, and this is not a big deal. But Giolito's experience would have been a considerable benefit if there's a Game 3 on Thursday Night. 

Of course, the Sox could make this a moot point by winning the first two games. In the 12 three-game Wild Card series, the team that has won Game 1 has gone on to win ALL 12 of those series. That's a hell of a trend. 

As the underdog in this series and playing every game in New York, the Red Sox need a whole team effort to advance. It turns out they won't have one of their starters if we get to Game 3.