The Yankees come back home after a successful first road trip of the 2023 season. New York hasn’t yet swept an opponent in any of their first four head-to-head matchups. However, they also haven’t lost a series yet.
Not everyone can be the Tampa Bay Rays right now, but the Bombers are among the next-best options available. Their 8-4 record is tied for the American League’s second-best mark entering Thursday’s action. And we also got the first Aaron Boone ejection of the year on Wednesday, which is always a treat.
Another team with an 8-4 record would be the Minnesota Twins, who New York will be hosting in the Bronx for a four-game set. Here’s what the probable starting pitcher matchups look like for this series.
Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Jhony Brito vs. Joe Ryan
At the start of spring training, Jhony Brito was seen as an intriguing arm but didn’t really have a path to make a big-league impact in 2023. That was before pitchers started dropping like flies in Tampa. Now, the 25-year-old rookie heads into his third start of the season with a 2-0 record, accompanied by a 0.90 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 10 innings.
Joe Ryan is off to a solid start himself. His 3.75 ERA is much higher, but his 0.75 WHIP is better and the hurler also has two wins to his name through 12 innings of work. He’ll be making his second career start at Yankee Stadium. The first one? Well, it wasn’t good — he allowed four runs on three hits (one homer), four walks, and three strikeouts in four innings.
Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Nestor Cortes vs. Tyler Mahle
Nasty Nestor has picked up right where he left off at the end of his All-Star campaign in 2022. He’s already racked up two wins with a 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 10.1 innings. He’s faced the Twins five times (three starts). The southpaw is 2-1 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 20.2 innings.
Tyler Mahle had one good start against Miami (one run, seven strikeouts in five innings), followed by one not-so-good start against Houston (four runs, six strikeouts in six innings) to begin his year. He’ll try to get back on track against the Yankees, a team he’s never faced before.
Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET: Domingo German vs. Kenta Maeda
Will the Yankees ever quit on Domingo German? That day may come in the future, but it won’t be this weekend. He’s struggled in two different ways across his first two starts of the year. He struck out eight and walked none against the Phillies, but allowed four runs on four hits (two homers) in 4.2 innings. German allowed two runs against the Guardians, but he completed just three innings thanks to five walks.
Kenta Maeda has allowed five runs on 11 hits through his first 11 innings of 2023, but it’s been accompanied by 12 strikeouts and no walks. This will be his second career start against the Yankees. His first one also came at Yankee Stadium. It lasted 4.1 innings after allowing five runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts.
Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Pablo Lopez
Ah, another matchup of aces to finish a series. Gerrit Cole’s latest strong outing gave him his third win of the year. He’s also sporting a 1.40 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 22 strikeouts across 19.1 innings. Cole will be putting his perfect 4-0 record against the Twins on the line at the Stadium.
Pablo Lopez has just one decision (a win) through his first three starts. However, those 20 frames have looked mighty nice. He owns a 1.35 ERA and 0.65 WHIP (!) with 26 strikeouts. The right-hander has faced New York one other time during his career. It was a six-inning outing where he allowed one run on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
