There’s no getting around how grisly the Yankees’ offense is right now, outside of a resurgent Ben Rice. They struck out 17 times for the second night in a row and set a team record with 34 K’s across a two-game span. Yikes! Even though there were more hits than the lineup had come by in previous days, it still made for a tough watch — and it’s part of a wider trend across the past couple weeks.
A quick fix is not really available right now for the starting nine; right now, they just have to power
through to the All-Star break over the next five days and just try to not look so much like Swiss cheese. So in the meantime, I’m putting my attention to the man on the mound tonight: Gerrit Cole.
The Yankees actually did win the initial game of this series on Monday despite the first 17 K’s because Cam Schlittler was magnificient in eight innings. Now, I’m not expecting that from Cole, but I think it’s reasonable to hope for something between that and Will Warren’s six-run, three-homer stinker on Tuesday. And Cole did win his last start on Friday against the Twins, snapping a seven-game losing streak with five innings of two-run ball, striking out seven.
Was it a grind? No question!
Today on the site, Sam will consider those strange Mets as an potential—if somewhat-unlikely—trade partner, Madison will run through the Rivalry Roundup, and Nick will celebrate what would have been the 97th birthday of versatile two-time World Series champion Héctor López. Later, Matt will look ahead to the MLB Draft by looking back at some famous picks in the specific spots where the Yankees will pick this year (Nos. 35, 63, and 99).
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
TV: Amazon Prime Video, Rays.TV
Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
