New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Gerrit Cole vs. Keegan Akin

The Yankees finally won a game last night! I don’t know about you, but that was a lot more enjoyable than the five losses that came before it. Following last night’s win, the Yankees return to the Bronx to open a seven-game home stand with a critical four-game set against...[checks notes] the Baltimore Orioles?

Yea, we live in that timeline.

Gerrit Cole (4-3, 3.63 ERA, 4.66 FIP) will be on the mound for the Yankees tonight. He opened his last start with such dominance — he struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced — that visions of history danced in our minds; a 20-strikeout game, or even, dare I say, perfection, did not seem out of reach. But in the fourth inning, José Iglesias broke up the no-hitter dream with a double, and in the sixth, five runs (only one earned) crossed the plate, and the Yankees ultimately lost 6-1.

Opposing him will be Keegan Akin (0-0, 2.08 ERA, 3.72 FIP), making just his third career start and second in a row against the Yankees. Last Saturday, Akin matched Cole frame for frame, throwing 5.1 shutout innings, striking out eight, walking four, and giving up three hits. Since making his Major League debut, the Orioles’ No. 15 prospect has struck out 15 batters in only 13 innings.

Luke Voit will get a rest day today due to “wear and tear,” which is probably code for “the foot thing that has been bothering him is flaring up today;” in either case, Voit has been struggling a bit at the plate lately, so hopefully a day of rest will do him some good. Mike Ford gets the start at first in his place. In news that is sure to be overblown, Kyle Higashioka makes his second straight start behind the plate during a Gerrit Cole start, with Gary Sánchez serving as the designated hitter.

Here’s the lineup that the Orioles will be sending out there:

You can catch the game on the YES Network (streamable on FOX Sports GO), or for those out of market, also on MLB Network. For those planning to listen along the radio, WFAN 660/101.9 FM or WADO 1280 are your places to be. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05...pending the weather.