The Yankees are in better shape than the Mets right now, but that doesn’t mean their first half of play is something worth bragging about. New York gets a chance to start changing the narrative on Friday when they return from the All-Star break to face the Rockies in Colorado.
Manager Aaron Boone’s club enters the unofficial start of the second half with a 49-42 record. They’re just one game back of the final AL Wild Card spot, which isn’t a bad place to be. However, they’re also eight games back of first place in the AL East. Just one game separates them from the last-place Red Sox, too.
Here’s what the probable pitching matchups look like at the moment.
Friday at 8:40 p.m. ET: Carlos Rodon vs. Austin Gomber
Carlos Rodon made his long-awaited Yankees debut last Friday against the Cubs. It didn’t go how he wanted, but it could’ve been a lot worse. He allowed two runs on four hits, two walks, and two strikeouts in 5.1 innings. This will be Rodon’s second career game at Coors Field. His first one included six earned runs, five hits, three walks, and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Austin Gomber registered three straight wins prior to the All-Star break. He’s posted a 3.00 ERA with 11 strikeouts over his most recent 18 innings. The hurler has never faced the Yankees but owns a 7.84 ERA through 10 starts (49.1 innings) at home so far this season.
Saturday at 8:10 p.m. ET: Clarke Schmidt vs. Connor Seabold
Clarke Schmidt’s last appearance came out of the bullpen against the Cubs so he could get a little work in before the All-Star break. Before that, he racked up at least five innings pitched in three straight starts. The last two both resulted in wins for the right-hander. Schmidt has been much better at home (3.93) than on the road (5.18) this year, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens when he faces the Rockies at Coors Field.
Connor Seabold has lost each of his last four decisions. His ERA during this span (16.2 innings) is an eye-popping 12.96. It included 24 earned runs on 28 hits, four walks, and 11 strikeouts. Of those 28 hits, nine of them left the ballpark. Seabold has faced the Yankees once. It happened last year, when New York torched him for seven runs on nine hits in 2.2 innings.
Sunday at 3:10 p.m. ET: Gerrit Cole vs. Chase Anderson
Fresh off starting the midsummer classic, Gerrit Cole looks to keep his solid 2023 campaign rolling in the second half. His last two starts before the break included a 3.38 ERA and 10 strikeouts across 13.1 innings. Across seven career starts, Cole owns a 2.47 ERA against the Rockies. That includes a 2.92 mark in two starts at Coors Field.
The Yankees will be catching Chase Anderson on quite the cold streak. He’s 0-4 in his last four starts and has lasted just 13.1 total innings while posting an 18.23 ERA. Opposing hitters have registered a 1.420 OPS against the hurler. Anderson also has a 16.88 ERA against New York in two career starts, both of which came in 2020.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
