The New York Yankees are coming off a series sweep of the Boston Red Sox and going ahead in the AL East. The Yankees are 8-2 in their last ten games and feeling really good for their chances of taking the AL East division. Although there are still some pieces to come back, the Yankees are mostly healthy and playing their best baseball of the season.
Tonight they enter a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins at the Stadium in the Bronx. They hope to continue their excellent play and secure their ninth series win in a row. Sweeping a four-game series is really difficult, but the Yankee’s confidence is really high right now. The Yankees are second in the AL East, five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, winning 8 of their last 10. The Twins are second to last in the AL Central but have been playing better recently, going 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Tonight, August 19, 7:05 pm:
Tonight the New York Yankees’ best pitcher over the past month, Jameson Taillon, will take on the Minnesota Twins pitcher John Gant in the first game of a 4 game weekend series. Taillon is 7-4 with an ERA of 3.89 and with 116 strikeouts. Taillon is coming off a win over the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees have won his last six starts in a row. Taillon has only gotten better as the season progresses; he has lowered his ERA from 7.56 to 3.89 over the span.
Taillon will face the Twin’s John Gant that is a righty with a 4-6 record and an ERA of 3.49 with 69 strikeouts. Gant started the season as a starter for the St. Louis Cardinals but didn’t pitch well and was sent to the bullpen. Now with the Twins, he has pitched in seven games, never going more than 2 innings. Over the span, he has one hold. The only Yankee with significant experience with Gant is Anthony Rizzo, who had bat .500 in 12 at-bats against Gant.
Tonight’s game will be televised on the YES Network, Bally Sports North, and nationally on MLBN out of market.
Friday, August 20, 7:05 pm:Â
Friday night Nestor Cortes Jr. will take the mound for the Yankees with the lowest ERA of any Yankee starter. Nestor is a lefty that is 1-1 with an ERA of 2.55 and 53 strikeouts in six games as a starter. He is coming off a six-inning outing win over the White Sox, giving up just one earned run while striking out seven.
Cortes will face the Twin’s Charlie Barns, who has yet to win the Twins. The lefty is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA. Barns has one advantage going into this game; no Yankee has ever seen him pitch except video. Barns is coming off a game the Twins won over the Tampa Bay Rays. He gave up one run, striking out three over five innings of work.
Friday night’s game will be televised on YES and Bally Sports North.
Saturday, August 21, 1:05 pm:
The New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will get his second start after coming off the Covid list. Cole is 11-6 with an ERA of 3.04 and an incredible 185 strikeouts leading all baseball in strikeouts this season. Cole is coming off a win over the Los Angeles Angels when he went 5.2 innings giving up one home run while striking out 9 Angels.
Cole will face Kenta Maeda in the matinee. Maeda is 6-4 with an ERA of 4.41 and 108 strikeouts. This is Kenta’s 21st game of the season. He is coming off his second win in a row. His last win was over the Tampa Bay Rays when he only allowed 3 hits in his scoreless six-inning effort. Most of the Yankees have not seen Maeda pitch, but Joey Gallo has been successful off of him with a .500 average in six at-bats; one was a home run.
Saturday’s matinee will be televised on Bally Sports North and nationally on FS1.
Sunday, August 22, 1:05 pm:
Sunday, Jordan Montgomery will take the mound for the New York Yankees. “Monty” is a lefty with a 4-5 record and a 3.77 ERA with 121 strikeouts. However, Montgomery pitches better than his record would suggest, as he has gotten nearly no run support in the majority of his games. The Yankees have won 12 of his 20 starts this season. The Yankees have won his last two starts, although he was shaky in his last start against the Red Sox, admitting he was tired after coming off the Covid list.
Montgomery will face the Twin’s, Griffin Jax. Jax is a righty that is 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA. Jax is a reliever that has converted to a starting role as the Twins pitching rotation has struggled. The Yankees faced Jax twice in June, two games that the Yankees won. He is coming off 3 games that the Twin have won. His last outing was a six-inning effort where he gave up 7 hits and one home run against the Indians.
Sunday’s game will be on WPIX, its affiliates, and Bally Sports North.
Note: When the Yankees finish this series, they leave Yankee Stadium and move on to Truist Park for two games with the Atlanta Braves. They will then make a west coast trip to face the Angels and the Athletics.