Just a few days ago, it seemed like the walls were caving in on the Yankees (as ridiculous as that sounds in early May). Four straight losses, punctuated by some questionable moves from the manager will do it.
Just as quickly as that happened, New York broke its four-game losing streak. And not only that, but they won two in a row to take their series against the Cleveland Guardians. The focus now turns to Tampa Bay, as the Bombers and 26-6 Rays lock heads for the first time this season.
Here’s what the probable starting pitchers look like.
Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET: Jhony Brito vs. Yonny Chirinos
While the Yankees lost Jhony Brito’s last start on April 29th in Texas, the rookie hurler put together the kind of outing he really needed. He completed five innings for the first time since April 8th, allowing two runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts in the process.
Yonny Chirinos has thrown 14 innings across four appearances. This will be his first start of 2023, though. He’s twirled a 0.64 ERA and 0.57 WHIP with eight strikeouts along the way. Across eight appearances (five starts) against the Yankees, Chirinos owns a 3.57 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 32 strikeouts.
Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET: Domingo German vs. Drew Rasmussen
Domingo German was absolutely dealing against the Guardians in his last start, pitching into the ninth inning. He deserved a shot at finishing what he started. That didn’t happen and the hurler ended up with nothing to show for it. German has a 5.64 career ERA vs. Tampa Bay. But in three starts last season, he posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, although he accumulated just 12.1 innings.
Drew Rasmussen has allowed earned runs in just three of his six starts. Two of those occurrences have included five runs allowed, and the other was three runs. That three-run occurrence happened in his last time on the mound vs. the White Sox. Rasmussen’s lone start against the Yankees happened last year. He struck out 10 hitters while walking none and allowing six hits across six shutout innings.
Sunday at 1:40 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Josh Fleming
Is there anyone better to close out a highly-anticipated series for the Yankees than Gerrit Cole? No, absolutely not. He’s off to a torrid start this season. While he’s reached certain levels he hasn’t yet seen as a big leaguer, having a good first month is nothing new for him. Cole has a 2-7 lifetime record vs. the Rays, but it’s also accompanied by a 3.52 ERA. Across four starts against Tampa last year (25.1 innings), he posted a 1.07 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 35 strikeouts.
Josh Fleming is set to make his second start of the year. His only other one in 2023 came on April 4th. He allowed five runs on 10 hits in three innings against the Nationals. Since then, he’s allowed just three runs on 11 hits in his last 19.2 innings in relief. This will also be his first start against the Yankees. Fleming has allowed two runs on five hits in six career innings vs. New York, which happened via three appearances out of the bullpen.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
