Chicago has won 11 of its last 16 and just took a series off the Dodgers, and now Will Venable's club gets a Yankees team that's missing roughly half its lineup. Davis Martin (9-2, 2.41) draws Gerrit Cole (1-1, 2.45) for the opener of a three-game set in the Bronx.
Cole is the bigger name, but he's also still working his way back from elbow surgery and lasted only 4 innings on 83 pitches in Cleveland his last time out. Martin, meanwhile, has been the most efficient starter nobody is talking about — 6 shutout innings, 6 K, 0 walks against Atlanta in his last start, and a FIP that grades in the 96th percentile league-wide per Pitcher List. The matchup card below has the gory details.
The Yankees' injury list is doing more work for Chicago than anything Chicago can do for itself. Aaron Judge is 2-4 weeks into a 4-to-6 week shutdown with a stress fracture in his first rib. Giancarlo Stanton tweaked his calf running the bases and may need more imaging. Trent Grisham (hamstring), Austin Wells (head), and Max Fried (elbow) are all on the shelf too. That's the heart of the order plus the No. 2 starter.
- Day-To-DayTim Elko 1B — no
- Day-To-DayMason Adams RP — The White Sox announced that Adams underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILMunetaka Murakami 1B — White Sox manager Will Venable said Monday that Murakami (hamstring) stayed back in Chicago during the team's road trip and was given a platelet-rich plasma injection, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILNoah Schultz SP — Schultz (knee) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJordan Hicks RP — Hicks (lat) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert RP — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.
- 60-Day-ILKyle Teel C — Teel (knee/hamstring) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAustin Hays LF — Hays has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte due to a recurrence of left calf soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayPayton Henry C — The Yankees signed Henry to a minor-league contract Monday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- Day-To-DayEric Reyzelman SP — no
- 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-ILAustin Wells C — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday that Wells (head) will go out on a rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTrent Grisham CF — Grisham (hamstring) participated in "light on-field agility exercises" Saturday and is expected to undergo imaging in New York on Monday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Stanton tweaked his injured right calf while running the bases this week, and he may need to undergo more medical imaging, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — The Yankees announced Thursday that Judge has a stress fracture of his first rib on his right side and will be sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks before being re-evaluated, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Fried (elbow) will throw off a mound Saturday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
On the other side, Paul Goldschmidt is heating up at the right time — 12-for-29 with 12 RBI and 2 homers over his last 7 games per Yardbarker. Pair that with Martin throwing strikes and the White Sox actually look like the more functional offense in this one, which is a sentence I did not expect to type in June.
The Yankees are still 43-27 and still at home, and Cole on the mound is Cole on the mound. But this is a real test of how thin the lineup actually is. Sweep the inning-eater out early and the Bronx is suddenly relying on a bullpen that doesn't have many easy outs to get.