yankees mariners probable pitchers
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It’s taken more than two months, but one of the best rivalries in sports gets renewed this weekend in the Bronx. That’s right — the Yankees and Red Sox will finally go head-to-head for the first time in 2023.

New York has the upper hand in this matchup all-time, and it was more of the same story in 2022. The Yankees went 13-6 against Boston last year, outscoring their AL East rivals 109-76. Here are the probable pitching matchups at the moment.

Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Garrett Whitlock

It’s a battle of guys named Gerrit (or Garrett). Whoever pitches better will get to claim the way they spell their name is the “right way”.

After rough starts against the Padres and Orioles, Gerrit Cole got back on track against the Dodgers, allowing one run on four hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in six innings. Cole owns a 4.40 lifetime ERA against Boston, but the last two years haven’t gone great. He posted a 4.91 ERA in four starts in 2021, followed by a 5.59 ERA in five starts against them last year.

Garrett Whitlock’s last five starts have been a roller coaster between good and bad performances. He allowed five runs in five innings to the Rays on April 11th, followed by one run in seven innings against the Angels on April 16th. Then, it was five runs in four innings against the Brewers before one run in five innings against the Diamondbacks. His last start came on June 3rd vs. the Rays, which included four runs allowed on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

He’s 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA all-time against the Yankees, but this will be his first start.

Saturday at 7:35 p.m. ET: Domingo German vs. Tanner Houck

Domingo German held Los Angeles to one run on four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work his last time out. He’s now surrendered two or fewer earned runs in four of his last five starts. In two appearances against the Red Sox last season, German struck out nine in 11 innings while posting a 3.27 ERA.

Tanner Houck owns a 5.46 ERA across 11 starts thus far in 2023, and his last five appearances haven’t exactly been stellar. He’s posted one quality start during that time but has also allowed four runs on three other occasions. Houck owns a 2.28 lifetime ERA against the Yankees, which spans 27.2 innings (nine total appearances, four of which were starts).

Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Brayan Bello

Clarke Schmidt has put together a decent run of production for the Yankees over his last four starts. Since allowing seven runs in 4.2 frames to the Rays on May 14th, the right-hander has posted a 2.49 ERA through 21.2 innings pitched, lasting at least five in each appearance. This will be his first career start against the Red Sox. In four relief appearances, he’s 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Brayan Bello owns a 3.97 ERA through nine starts, and his last five have been especially good. He’s pitched fewer than five innings in a start once during this span, which includes a 2.89 ERA and 27 strikeouts across 28 innings. Bello is 0-2 in two career starts against the Yankees, but it’s because of poor fielding. Five runs have been scored while he’s pitched against New York, with just one being earned in 11 innings.

You can reach Matt Musico at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.

Matt Musico is an editor for ESNY. He’s been writing about baseball and the Mets for the past decade. His work has been featured on numberFire, MetsMerized Online, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo! Sports.