After Saturday’s debacle, Cole looks to put playoff push back on right track
NEW YORK — This is why Gerrit Cole is here.
The Yankees gave the righthander a record-setting contract for a pitcher in December 2019 for the games he will start down the stretch. The ace will take the ball Sunday against Cleveland looking to get the Yankees back on track after a bad 11-3 loss Saturday.
He will likely have two more starts in the final 12 games as the Bombers chase a playoff spot, but there is a possibility of three.
It’s why Cole wanted to be here too.
“I kind of think it’s fun,” Cole said Saturday before the Yankees faced Cleveland at the Stadium.
“If you get into October, games are going to be the same way. The mentality is going to be the same way, so you can challenge yourself to rise to the occasion,”
With two off days remaining in the final two weeks, depending on their playoff picture and how Cole feels, he could potentially pick up another start on short rest if the Yankees need it.
That seems to be a last resort with Cole having come out of a start a week ago with left hamstring tightness. He was pitching with a wrap on the hamstring last time.
So manager Aaron Boone and the Yankees will be cautious and lean more toward lining him up for a playoff game unless they are in a win-or-go-home situation.
Cole could line up to pitch Friday in Boston, again in Toronto, and that would line him up for a potential Game 163 or wild-card game on regular or extra rest. Or he could pitch the season finale against the Rays on short rest.
Ready or not?: Jameson Taillon was itching to get back into the rotation. The right-hander, who suffered a partially torn tendon in his right ankle, threw his second bullpen Saturday but still had things to prove to come off the injured list.
“We’ll see,” Boone said when asked what Taillon’s next step was. “I know he’s moving around some, probably doing some [pitcher fielding] stuff. So we’ll just kind of see how he comes out of that.
“We’ll see how he looks moving around on the mound and then kind of talk through that as well.”
Luis Severino told reporters Saturday morning he is “ready to go,” meaning he was feeling good after having faced hitters Friday for the first time since he was shut down from a rehab assignment with shoulder tightness.
Severino pitched two simulated innings Friday and has not pitched in any game situation since early August. The Yankees still say they see a path for Severino, who has not pitched in a big-league game since October 2019, to pitch for them this season.
Jonathan Loaisiga, who was shut down from throwing for 10 days with a shoulder strain, was back out throwing Saturday morning. That’s a good sign for a Yankees bullpen that has been heavily taxed this past month.