MLB.com | Joe Vasile: The New York Yankees and the Hudson Valley Renegades announced yesterday afternoon that pitchers Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón will start for the Renegades on Thursday and Friday, respectively, as part of their rehab assignments. Cole will be making his second start, as he began his rehab assignment with the Double-A Somerset Patriots last week, while Rodón will be taking the hill for the first time this season. I’m not saying I feel bad for the Brooklyn Cyclones batters they’ll
be facing, but, well, I kind of do.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty and Jen McCaffrey: With the Yankees and Red Sox starting their first series of the season yesterday, The Athletic’s reporters on the New York and Boston beats teamed up to break down how the two teams have been going in the early weeks of the season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the starting rotations of both staffs were highlighted: the Bombers need their rotation to cover for a shaky bullpen, while the Red Sox has been overtaxing their bullpen due to underperformance.
ESPN | Jeff Passan: The history of pitching is, in many ways, the search for more and more velocity. Two decades ago, a pitcher hitting triple digits was a rarity. Nowadays, though, so many pitchers — both starters and relievers — reach 100 miles per hour consistently that it no longer seems all that remarkable. Talking to players throughout the league — including Yankees starter/ace-in-training Cam Schlittler — Jeff Passan talks about the rise of the 100 mph fastball over the last few years, to the point where it has become an obsession even among high school students.
And, while Passan doesn’t get into it, probably also the reason for so many arm injuries.
