Gerrit Cole vs. Gavin Williams, 6:05 PM ET in the Bronx. Cole is 2 starts into his post-Tommy John comeback and the numbers look like a typo — 0.00 ERA, including 10 strikeouts on 79 pitches against Kansas City last time out. Williams comes in at 8-3 with a 3.07 ERA and a 7-inning, 1-run gem against Washington in his last outing, so this is genuinely one of the better pitching matchups on the board tonight.
The reason this game matters more than a random Wednesday: Cleveland just smoked the Yankees 9-4 in the series opener. Jose Ramirez doubled in 3 straight at-bats, Kyle Manzardo went deep off Cam Schlittler, and rookie Travis Bazzana put it away with a 3-run double in the 8th. The Yankees scored all 4 of their runs on a Paul Goldschmidt homer and basically nothing else, which is what tends to happen when Aaron Judge isn't in the lineup.
- Day-To-DayCarlos Hernandez RP — Hernandez (shoulder) began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILErik Sabrowski RP — Sabrowski (elbow) underwent an MRI on Tuesday which confirmed inflammation but no structural damage, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGabriel Arias SS — no
- Day-To-DayAaron Judge RF — Manager Aaron Boone said that Judge is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians due to a bone bruise in his ribs that is causing soreness in his right shoulder, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayTravis MacGregor SP — MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJasson Dominguez LF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday that Dominguez (shoulder) will hit live pitching Wednesday and likely begin a rehab assignment later this week, Chelsea Janes of SNY.tv reports.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton (calf) has begun running outside, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILAngel Chivilli RP — Chivilli (shoulder) has resumed throwing off a mound and is slated to throw live batting practice during the coming week, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Fried (elbow) played catch Monday, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) threw a bullpen session Friday, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
That's the elephant in the room. Judge is day-to-day with a bone bruise in his upper right rib that's also bothering his right shoulder, and Tuesday was the first game he's missed all season. Boone hasn't ruled him out for tonight but hasn't ruled him in either. Jasson Dominguez is close — Boone said he'd face live pitching Wednesday and likely start a rehab assignment this week — and Giancarlo Stanton is running outside again. None of that helps the lineup tonight.
Pinnacle has the Yankees at -154 on the moneyline with the total sitting at 7.5. That feels about right given Cole's been untouchable and Cleveland's bullpen is missing Erik Sabrowski (elbow inflammation, no structural damage per his MRI) and still waiting on Carlos Hernandez to finish his rehab. If Williams keeps the ball in the yard and Cole does Cole things, the under at -124 is the cleanest read on the slate.
Cleveland is 35-27 and just rolled into the building and punched the AL East leader in the mouth. The Yankees are 36-24 and have lost 2 of their last 5, with both losses coming when their lineup got a little thin. First pitch 6:05 PM ET — if Judge's name shows up in that lineup card, the whole calculus shifts. If it doesn't, Cole has to carry it.