Alexander Wilson
The Yankees finally got Gerrit Cole back, and for six innings, it felt like the whole rotation could exhale. Then the bullpen took that clean night and dragged it through the mud.
Cole gave them six scoreless innings against Tampa Bay, allowing two hits with two strikeouts and three walks on 72 pitches. It wasn’t vintage strikeout-machine Cole, but it was efficient, calm, and exactly what the Yankees needed from a pitcher making his first big-league start since 2024.
The Yankees still lost 4-2 because the eighth inning turned into a mess. Tim Hill was charged with four runs, three earned, without recording an out, and Tampa Bay flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead before the inning was over.
The eighth inning exposed the issue
The defense didn’t help, and Jose Caballero’s error opened the door. Still, October-caliber bullpens slam that door shut often enough to make a mistake survivable. The Yankees didn’t do that Friday.
Brent Headrick gave up traffic. Fernando Cruz did his job by stranding two inherited runners with two strikeouts. Hill then got ambushed, with Jonathan Aranda tying the game on a double, Richie Palacios driving in two on a ball that deflected off Hill, and Ryan Vilade adding a sacrifice fly.
Good Cole starts become losses quickly when the bridge collapses. It feels like a tire blowing out on the highway, one minute the Yankees are cruising, the next they are on the shoulder wondering why the whole thing smells like smoke.
Cashman may need another late-inning answer
David Bednar struck out three in the ninth, which was a nice rebound after his recent volatility, but the bigger bullpen picture still feels too thin. The Yankees already needed to make a difficult late-inning decision, and Friday did nothing to soften that concern.
Cole changing the rotation changes the ceiling of the staff. Max Fried’s absence hurts, but Cole, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, and Will Warren give the Yankees enough starting depth to survive if the late innings are clean.
Clean late innings are the catch. The Yankees can’t keep asking their starters to be nearly perfect because one messy inning turns the scoreboard upside down. If Brian Cashman wants this team built for October, another premium leverage arm should be on the board before the deadline gets close.
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