Yankees Win Despite Growing Concerns Over Cole

How Cole was he?

At some point, we may have to talk about whether Gerrit Cole is the biggest bust in the history of acquisitions by the New York Yankees. Last night, in the opener of a 3-game series away to the Detroit Tigers, he struck out the side in the 1st inning, mixing in a walk. But in the 2nd inning, he allowed single, lineout, walk, bases-loading walk, RBI walk, sacrifice fly, bases-reloading walk, before Aaron Boone took him out. Remember: Comerica Park is a pitcher's park, unlike its predecessor, Tiger Stadium. 

Cole has made 3 starts this season. He has no losses, but no wins, either. His ERA is 6.35. His WHIP is 1.412. Since September 7 of last season, counting the postseason, he is 2-2, with a 6.67 ERA. In 4 postseason appearances as a Yankee, he is 2-1, with a 3.98 ERA. And for this, we are paying him $36 million per season.

Clarke Schmidt got a strikeout to end the threat, and then pitched through the 5th inning, with no further harm done. Wandy Peralta pitched a scoreless 6th. Clay Holmes was shaky in the 7th, but got out of it with no additional runs. And Miguel Castro pitched a scoreless 8th.

Now, this sounds like the kind of game where the Yankees had a rotten start, and the bullpen did the best they good, but it was too late, because the offense simply couldn't overcome it. Fortunately, this time, that was not the case.

Because the Yankees had more than offset the Tigers' 2 runs before the Tigers even came to bat. Aaron Hicks led off the game with a single. Aaron Judge popped up, but Anthony Rizzo drew a walk. Giancarlo Stanton struck out, but DJ LeMahieu walked to load the bases. Josh Donaldson popped up, and it looked like it was all wasted. But opposing starting pitcher Tyler Alexander dropped the ball, and Hicks and Rizzo scored.

So it was 2-2 when Cole came out. Hicks brought a run home with a sacrifice fly in the 3rd. Meaning that, if Boone had trusted Cole to get 1 more out, and he had, he would have stood to be the winning pitcher. I don't know whether to be glad he didn't, or not.

The game was relatively quiet until the 8th inning, when Hicks and and Rizzo drew walks, and LeMahieu singled Hicks home. A 1-2-3 9th inning by Aroldis Chapman sealed it: Yankees 4, Tigers 2. WP: Schmidt (1-2). SV: Chapman (2). LP: Alexander (0-1).

The series continues tonight. Luis Severino starts against Eduardo Rodriguez. The Yankees are 6-5, and they can't expect to be much more than a .500 team unless Cole gets out of this slump. Even with him pitching well, this team wouldn't be looking like a threat for, and then in, the postseason.