BALTIMORE – Even with Max Fried landing on the injured list for the second time this season, requiring time to calm a bone bruise in his pitching elbow, the Yankees feel confident about the state of their rotation.
Cole has been everything the Yankees would have hoped for in his return following Tommy John surgery, especially lately.
The right-hander enters Thursday’s scheduled start against the Orioles having won three of his previous four starts, pitching to a 1.46 ERA over that span (4 ER in 24 2/3 IP). He has scattered 19 hits, with seven walks and 26 strikeouts.
“I think we’re having a good time pitching,” Cole said. “Playing in close games – certainly we want to blow guys out and secure as many wins as possible – but at the same time we’re throwing the ball well. We’re playing good defense and we’re hanging in a lot of games, giving ourselves a chance to win.”
Overall, Cole is 6-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts this season. This will mark his first start against the Orioles since Sept. 26, 2024, when he hurled 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 10-1 victory at Yankee Stadium. Cole is 7-3 with a 2.39 ERA in 15 career starts vs. Baltimore.
He’ll be looking to flush his most recent outing, a tough-luck performance at Toronto in which he permitted two runs (one earned) over six innings, yet took the defeat in New York’s 3-1 loss.
Cole has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last four starts – a necessity, considering how much difficulty the Yankees offense has had putting up support of late. Cole said that he – and the rest of the staff – shouldn’t be affected by what the hitters are, or are not, doing.
“At this point, I’m kind of out there competing with myself, or competing one-on-one with the hitter,” Cole said. “As a pitcher, you certainly don’t want to bring those types of thoughts into your game at all. You just go pitch to pitch so much, I’m not sure it shows up too much in the middle of the game.”
With Fried on the injured list and aiming for a return close to the minimum 15 days, the Yankees are still counting on a postseason rotation shouldered by Cole, Fried, Cam Schlittler and Carlos Rodón.
Will Warren and Ryan Weathers both remain in the rotation as well; manager Aaron Boone said it never reached the point where the Yankees discussed moving either pitcher to a bullpen role.
“Obviously, the rotation has been a strength for us,” Boone said. “Even when we’ve had different guys out … we have a lot of confidence, night in and night out, to whoever we hand the ball to.”