Last night, at Progressive Field, after a weak effort at the plate the night before, the Yankees needed a bounce-back win over the Cleveland Guardians. The bats obliged. They picked up a run in the 2nd inning, then scored 5 in the 3rd, including on a home run by Franchy Cordero. They got 2 more runs in the 4th, 2 more in the 5th, and 1 more in the 9th.
And the Yankees had the right pitcher on the mound to take advantage of such an output, Gerrit Cole. He struck out an uncharacteristically low 3 batters, and had a shaky 1st inning in which he allowed 2 runs. But after that, he cruised through the 7th, allowing no runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. Albert Abreu shut the Guardians out over the last 2 innings. Between them, Cole and Abreu saved the rest of the bullpen for today.
Yankees 11, Guardians 2. WP: Cole (3-0). No save: As strong as Abreu was, the Yankees had a big lead, so he would have had to pitch 3 innings to qualify for a save. LP: Hunter Gaddis (0-1).
The series concludes today. But don't get your hopes up: It's an afternoon game started by a pitcher other than Cole. And not just any pitcher other than Cole: It's going to be Clarke Schmidt. And the Yankees will be facing not just an unfamiliar pitcher, which is never a good sign, but one making his major league debut, Peyton Battenfield. Pitch clock or no, this could be a long afternoon for the Bronx outfit.
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