You gotta salivate over games like this. The Yankees are back home after a successful 5-1 road trip, claiming sole possession of first place in the AL East along the way. Gerrit Cole has looked strong in his return from Tommy John surgery, and the increasingly-wily veteran will go up against one of the game’s best, if little-known, right-handers as the resurgent Chicago White Sox send Davis Martin to the hill to open this three-game series in the Bronx.
Martin, 29, has broken out this season, already
putting up three wins by fWAR. He doesn’t sit batters down at that remarkable a rate, but he’s awful hard to work a walk against — just 5.4 percent of batters faced have managed it this year. He throws the best changeup this side of Cristopher Sánchez, along with three different fastballs that, like Cam Schlittler, means most of his offerings end up in the zone. You’re only going to get on against Martin by hitting, so no point in keeping the bat on your shoulder tonight.
Cole has been great by ERA, and that three-homer game against the Guardians a couple weeks ago has skewed his FIP in a way I expect to normalize, if not to the tune of 2.45. He’s much craftier than the Cole we knew at signing, and I’m a little worried at how much of the contact he’s allowed has been in the air so far — a 30.2 percent groundball rate is the lowest of his career. Still, as long as the runs aren’t crossing the plate, he’s as reliable as he’s always been.
The only real note on the lineup today is the move of Cody Bellinger up to the second slot, commonly seen in this era as where the best hitter hits for most teams. Ben Rice leads off, looking to capitalize on a big weekend in Toronto after killing too many worms there for a stretch. Jasson Domínguez is on the bench after getting a tooth pulled. Painful.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Chicago Sports Network
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | ESPN Chicago, WMVP 1000AM
Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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