Cole dominates without A-Plus stuff

Nine to three. A blow out. Let’s go deeper than the box score because this game was more enjoyable than just a standard nine to three blow out.

With all the things happening in 2020 one thing that seems to be constant is if Gerrit Cole pitches he wins. This is nothing new for Cole since he has lost just two games dating back to May of last year he has been as sure of a thing as anything can be.

To not overreact too much, Cole has given the Bombers so far the ace they have missed since the early 2010’s when C.C. Sabathia was dominating the game. The confidence that a club has knowing they have someone as incredible as Gerrit Cole is irreplaceable.

Now, in last night’s start he didn’t have his Cy Young stuff, but it was still good enough to go six and a third innings. Cole ran out of gas in the 7th after he retired 14 straight, he gave up three consecutive hits including a two run homer by Dwight Smith Jr. with the evening getting off to a rough start as well. Cole threw 21 pitches in the first looking like he’d be lucky to get through five. This outing in Baltimore shows the different levels that this team as a unit can showcase on any given night. If you want the cliff notes than it’s just the Yankees MVP so far this year, Gerrit Cole, and the 2019 Yankees MVP, D.J. LeMahieu, played this team to a win. LeMahieu went 4-5 with a leadoff homer to give Cole a lead right off jump, but Hicks and Judge added homers of their own in the 3rd to completely shift the momentum in the Bombers favor (yes, I’m talking momentum in the fourth game of the season, because IT EXSISTES), with Judge and LeMahieu adding RBI singles in the 6th to blow the game completely open. Just like that you’ve got a Yankee win. In that win the Yanks also saved majority of their bullpen for the run throughout the next month where the Bombers play all borderline playoff teams (and the Red Sox twice). August is going to be one of the hardest stretches in franchise history. The cream will raise to the top in August, however, let’s end July first.

In the second to last start of July, J.A. Happ ends this series with the Orioles. Happ was pushed back last night to keep Cole on an every fifth day schedule. Happ has been one of the most consistent Yankee pitchers since he has been here, even though his results haven’t always been positive. Hopefully he can have a better first outing than James Paxton had last weekend in the nation’s capital. For now, the Yankees are leading the AL East and are looking for a sweep for the first time in 2020, let’s go Yankees!


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