The Yankees open a weekend series against the Twins on Friday night in The Bronx, and they will do so with one of their biggest names on the mound.
Gerrit Cole gets the ball for the Bombers, but this has not been the cleanest stretch for the veteran right-hander.
Cole has looked more hittable than usual lately as he works his way back into peak form after Tommy John surgery, and the biggest issue has been the long ball.
He has allowed seven home runs over his past five starts, including two in his latest outing against the Red Sox and three against the Guardians in early June.
That is not exactly ideal with a power-heavy Twins lineup coming to Yankee Stadium tied for the 9th-most long balls in baseball heading into Thursday’s play.
Byron Buxton is the hitter who stands out most, with 25 home runs this season, trailing only Yordan Alvarez in the American League, although he is out of the lineup as he’s been dealing with a right hip impingement since June 28.
But the Twins have enough weapons to make Cole pay if he continues to miss over the plate during a game in which the ball should be flying with triple-digit temps hitting the Big Apple.
Kody Clemens, Brooks Lee and Josh Bell are all in the lineup and have hit double-digit home runs this season.
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Royce Lewis has struggled this season, but he remains as dangerous as it can get from the right-side of the plate.
Even without their best bat, fade Cole in what is set to be a scorcher.
The play: Gerrit Cole to allow more than 2.5 earned runs (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
