O’s tag Cole for 4 in one inning
TAMPA – The Orioles roughed up Gerrit Cole in his second-to-last start of spring, tagging the Yankee righty for four earned runs in his fifth and final frame in Sunday’s 5-3 Oriole victory. That inning included a hit by pitch, a walk, a three-run homer from Orioles catcher Anthony Bemboom, and an RBI double from outfielder Kyle Stowers. All in all, Cole threw 29 pitches and ended the day with a 3.94 ERA for the spring.
“That was the worst inning of the spring, so it’s not a great taste in my mouth,” Cole said.
He did take a few positives out of the performance. Namely, he made it through five and experienced a stressful inning while up against the pitch clock.
“There’s gonna be a time when I’m gonna throw 30 or somewhat pitches in an inning on the clock, so it was good to get through that,” Cole said. Cole allowed six hits and eight hardhit balls while striking out seven over 81 pitches. He added that he was not discouraged after the outing. Nor was his manager. “I don’t come out of this feeling like he’s anywhere but on the right tracks,” Aaron Boone said of his Opening Day starter.
PITCHING PLANS
Cole will look to increase his pitch count to 90 when he makes his last start of the spring on Friday at George M. Steinbrenner Field against the Twins.
“He avoided the grey pants all spring,” Boone said of Cole, who’s only pitched in Tampa this exhibition season.
Before that happens, Luis Severino will start Tuesday’s home game against the Tigers. Clarke Schmidt will pitch Wednesday’s road game against the Nationals. Nestor Cortes will take on the Cardinals on Thursday in Jupiter, and Domingo German will stay behind that day for a live session.
Cole has kept a close eye on the prospects fighting for the Yankees’ starting shortstop gig. And while he is not picking favorites, he said Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza – who made a few sharp defensive plays Sunday – have brought positive vibes to camp.
“Everybody relates to young players coming up for the first time because they remember experiencing those emotions as well,” Cole said. “To see a really good battle with two really good players… there’s no bad choice, but it’s just kind of inspiring. It’s a good battle, and it’s fun to watch. Everybody kind of feeds off that energy.”
BULLPEN LOGISTICS
As the Yankees weigh their bullpen options, Boone said that whether a pitcher is already on the 40-man roster will play a factor.
“It always plays into it a little bit, especially if you’re talking about something that’s a close call,” he said.
In recent days, Boone has indicated that lefthander Matt Krook and right-hander Jimmy Cordero are among the 40-man roster competitors, though they’re not the only options. Cordero struck out two in a scoreless frame Sunday.
FARMHAND HARDWARE
The Yankees announced that OF Jasson Dominguez and RHP Will Warren are the 2022 Kevin Lawn Award winners, a.k.a. the organization’s minor-league Position Player and Pitcher of the Year.
MINOR LEAGUE ASSIGNMENTS
The Yankees reassigned 1B/OF Jake Bauers and OF Billy McKinney to minor-league camp following Sunday’s game. Bauers is hitting .391 since the spring began, while McKinney is hitting .179.