New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins: Gerrit Cole vs. Joe Ryan

There’s no rest for the weary. After a come-from-behind extra-innings victory in the first game of the doubleheader, the Yankees turn right around to do it all over again. Ace Gerrit Cole is on the mound taking on Twins rookie Joe Ryan as the Bombers try to sweep the day’s twin billing.

Cole has looked better over the last five starts with a 2.16 ERA, following a disastrous July by his standards. That said, he still struggles with the big inning, having given up five, six, four, and three runs in a single frame in four of his last seven starts. As Esteban so astutely pointed out at the beginning of last month, recurring mechanical deficiencies have caused Cole’s fastball to get crushed in his off starts, so it’s no surprise he’s leaned heavily on the slider in recent games, with the pitch carrying over a 45 percent whiff rate over the last two months. In 27 starts, Cole is 10-7 with a 3.28 ERA (117 ERA+), and 3.22 FIP while leading the AL in strikeouts (204) and innings (164.2).

Ryan actually debuted for the Twins last year, but his call-up came late enough to preserve his rookie status through this year. His 3.88 ERA on the year drops to an even more attractive 3.25 when you take away his 10-run outing against the Padres (obviously, baseball doesn’t work this way, but it still merited mention). This is the first glimpse Yankees fans get of the Minnesota rookie, so look for him to lean on a fastball in the low-90s, sliders to righties, and changeups to lefties. In 22 starts, Ryan is 10-7 with a 3.88 ERA (98 ERA+), 4.28 FIP, and 121 strikeouts in 118.1 innings.

The Yankees made a handful of changes to the lineup from the first game. Aaron Hicks replaces Miguel Andújar in left field and bats leadoff. Marwin González replaces Ronald Guzmán at first base following the latter’s golden sombrero in game one. Finally, Jose Trevino replaces Kyle Higashioka behind the plate.

The Twins on the other hand made just one change to the lineup from game one, having Sandy León take over catching duties for Gary Sánchez. They also shuffled the infield lineup, moving Luis Arraez from first to DH, Gio Urshela from DH to third, and José Miranda from third to first.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium — Bronx, NY

First pitch: 7:55 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Bally Sports North, TBS

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1380

Online stream: MLB.tv

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