Things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for the Yankees through the first half of the 2023 season. But, they’re still in the thick of things and will hopefully get Aaron Judge back sometime in the near future. Before the All-Star break officially hits, they’ll finish off this portion of their schedule by hosting the Chicago Cubs.
Here’s what the probable pitching matchups look like at the moment.
Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET: Carlos Rodon vs. Jameson Taillon
It’s taken a lot longer than anyone was expecting, but Carlos Rodon will finally be making his Yankees debut. And he’ll get to do it in the Bronx at the Stadium. As a reminder, the southpaw went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings last year for the San Francisco Giants. He faced the Cubs once in 2022, allowing three runs on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
The Yankees will face old friend Jameson Taillon, who has struggled with his new club. He’s allowed at least four earned runs in four of his last five starts. The Cubs are also 2-12 in games started by the right-hander. Taillon owns a 12-4 lifetime record at Yankee Stadium, which includes a 3.38 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 170.2 innings.
Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Drew Smyly
Gerrit Cole is looking to finish off another All-Star-worthy first half strong against Chicago. While the Yankees lost his last start in St. Louis, the veteran righty pitched well. He allowed two runs on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts in five innings. Cole is 10-3 with a 2.53 ERA against the Cubs throughout his career, but this will be the first time he’s facing them since 2019.
As recently as May 17th, Drew Smyly’s season-long ERA was sitting at 2.50. But as he enters this start against the Yankees, it’s all the way up at 4.10. He’s failed to complete four innings in each of his last two appearances. The left-hander owns a 1.85 lifetime ERA against the Yankees in 43.2 innings, but the last time he faced them was in 2016.
Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET: Domingo German vs. Kyle Hendricks
It’s hard following up a perfect game, and Domingo German showed us why in his last start. He didn’t exactly pitch horribly, but it was a far cry from that memorable night in Oakland. German allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits, no walks, and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings. This will be German’s first career start against the Cubs.
After a couple of rough years with an ERA approaching 5.00, Kyle Hendricks has posted a 2.64 ERA over his first eight starts in 2023. His last five appearances have included four quality starts, completing more than six innings on three different occasions. This will be Hendricks’ second career start vs. the Yankees. His first came in 2017.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
