Last night the New York Yankees completed a sweep of the day-night doubleheader against the New York Mets, making it three straight wins, after losing seven in a row. The extra-innings win allowed the Yankees to take the five-game series 3-2.
Tonight the Yankees will face a foe that they have had great difficulties with this season, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees are 1-6 against the Rays this season. In the last three-game series earlier, the Rays swept the Yankees at the Stadium in the Bronx.
Yesterday was one of the nicest weather days for a baseball game at the Stadium. Game one started with mostly sunny skies, a temperature in the ’70s, and no humidity. The evening game was just as delightful. That great baseball weather will continue tonight in the Bronx, although it will be a bit cooler. The game tonight will be broadcast on the YES Network and Fox Sports Sun. The game time is 7:05 pm.
In the last three New York Yankee wins, the Yankees dug into the Scranton shuttle to create starts for the games. J.A. Happ had his best start of the years in Saturday’s matinee. The two games yesterday were started by Michael King and by Deivi Garcia in his major league debut. Tonight the Yankees will bring out their big pitching gun in Gerrit Cole. He will face the Ray’s Tyler Glasnow.
Gerrit Cole has been the Yankees best pitcher this season, going 4-1 with an ERA of 3.51. That somewhat elevated ERA for Cole is the result of his last game, that he lost to the Atlanta Braves. He gave up five earned runs in five innings. Three of them were home runs. Cole has had a problem during all of his games, giving up the long ball. He has given up a home run in every start this season. Before his loss to the Braves, he had a 4-0 record in six starts with a 2.75 ERA.
In Cole’s last outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cole struck out 10 Rays in 4.2 innings throwing 99 pitches. He, in that game also faced tonight’s Tyler Glasnow. The Yankees won the game 8-4, and Glasnow took the loss.
The New York Yankees will face Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow is 1-1 in six starts with an ERA of 5.14. Although the Rays beat the Yankees in their last meeting on the 20th, it wasn’t Cole’s loss the Yankee bullpen failed the Yankees. Glasnow previously faced the Rays on August 8. Game Gerrit Cole won over Glasnow. In Glasnow’s last start against the Baltimore Orioles on August 25th, he had a career-high in strikeouts (13). He also pitched a career-high seven innings. Other than that Baltimore start, Glasnow has failed to go deep into games.
Tonight will definitely be a pitching duel to start. It may be a game that is decided by the bullpens. Cole is known to throw 100 pitches or more, that’s is a sure advantage for the Yankees, who will try to avoid using their bullpen, that has let them down lately.
Tomorrow’s game will feature Masahiro Tanaka on the mound for the Yankees opposing a yet to be announced Rays pitcher.
INJURIES: Yankees: Luis Severino: (elbow), James Paxton: (forearm), Tommy Kahnle: (forearm), Zack Britton: (left hamstring), Aaron Judge: (calf), Aaron Hicks: (calves), Gleyber Torres: (quad/hamstring), Giancarlo Stanton: (left hamstring), Kyle Higashioka: (right oblique).
Rays: Ryan Yarbrough: (groin), Chaz Roe: (elbow), Colin Poche: (elbow), Charlie Morton: (shoulder), Andrew Kittredge: (elbow), Oliver Drake: (right biceps), Yonny Chirinos: (elbow), Jalen Beeks: (elbow), Nick Anderson: (right forearm), Jose Alvarado: (shoulder), Mike Zunino: (oblique).