Around the Empire: Yankees news - 8/28/20

New York Post | Ken Davidoff: Gerrit Cole’s regular season unbeaten streak came to an end this week, as he finally took a loss against the Braves. He had been 20-0 over his previous 28 starts. Davidoff writes that given the shape of the Yankees’ roster (read: injured), they desperately need this to be a blip on the radar for Cole.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Here’s a fairly comprehensive update on the Yankees’ various maladies. The biggest name here is obviously Aaron Judge, as the right fielder’s calf apparently tightened during Wednesday night’s doubleheader. But you may also have forgotten about the likes of Kyle Higashioka, who resumed swinging recently after sustaining an oblique strain in early August, or Luis Avilan, who doesn’t have a timetable to begin throwing after going down with left shoulder inflammation this week.

ESPN: The Blue Jays acquired right-hander Taijuan Walker from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations. This takes one pitching off the board for the Yankees, who were reportedly interested in Walker. Walker has managed a 4.00 ERA in five starts this season.

FanGraphs | Jon Tayler: On Wednesday night, in light of Kenosha police shooting Jacob Blake in the back seven times, NBA and WNBA players refused to play their games. Tayler highlights how surprising it is that six teams in MLB, among the more conservative major sports in America, were drawn into that particular movement. However, the majority of the league, the Yankees included, played on. Tayler analyzes what it means that almost the entire league decided that silence and the status quo was the right direction to take on a day where remaining neutral didn’t seem very neutral at all. More teams stepped forward and sat down on Thursday, but still, most of day’s schedule was played. The Yankees have yet to issue a statement, to the chagrin of a pair of brave minor leaguers.