New York Yankees, 5-10
Gerrit Cole is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in four starts. The rest of the Yankee staff is 3-9 with a 6.11 ERA in 10 starts. That’s a real, system-wide concern and it does not appear to be improving.
With Luis Severino shelved until at least midseason – and no guarantee that he will be the same pitcher when he comes back – the Yanks had hoped to fill with veterans Jameson Taillon and Corey Kluber. Both were coming off injuries. Instead, both have been terrible.
Each in their own way is a legitimate concern. For all the hype and expectation about the Yankees’ signing of Kluber this past winter, the reality is that he hasn’t been any good since 2018. Beyond that, he’s now 35, making the prospects of a good comeback even more questionable.
Taillon is returning from Tommy John surgery. Just two starts into that comeback, it’s obviously too soon to make firm judgments. Let’s just say the results haven’t been reassuring to date: He’s given up seven earned runs in eight innings, allowing 1.44 baserunners per inning.
A fourth starter, Domingo German, has looked bad in his first two starts.
The prospects are better that New York’s equally lackluster offense comes around. The Yanks are averaging 3.67 runs per game on a .210 average – both 14th in the AL. Between Giancarlo Stanton (.176), Aaron Judge (.255), Aaron Hicks (.160), and Gleyber Torres (.196), somebody has to start hitting, don’t they?
But even assuming the offense gets on track, the evidence is mounting that any game not started by Cole is problematic. Certainly, the Yanks have the resources to find an effective midseason mound patch. But can they find two or three… four if Severino does not return effectively?
During a five-game losing streak, the Yankees have given up an average of six runs per game. That could be close to reality.
Odds that New York’s 5-10 record is real: 51 percent.