New York Yankees @ Chicago White Sox: Gerrit Cole vs. Dylan Cease

The Yankees travel to Chicago today, to take on the White Sox for a three-game set that New York pretty much must win. Chicago has been one the most disappointing teams in the game (for all the Yankees’ faults, well, at least they ain’t the White Sox), and if the Yankees want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, they’ll need at least two wins in the Windy City, if not a sweep.

Setting aside the Yankees’ baggage, though, we do have the potential for a great one-off game tonight. Gerrit Cole will square off with Dylan Cease, Chicago’s ace and one of the more talented pitchers in the AL. The 27-year-old Cease has not had his best season, running a 4.61 ERA in 122 innings. But the right-hander still has huge strikeout stuff, ringing up 144 strikeouts on the year, and has the ability to mow down any offense at a moment’s notice, even if he is rather inconsistent.

Cole needs little introduction at this point, as essentially the best pitcher in baseball. His 2.64 ERA leads the league, and he’s been particularly sharp of late; he’s got a 2.27 ERA and a .505 OPS allowed from July on. Excellence is the expectation, not the hope, for Cole every single time out.

Lineup-wise, the Yankees are rolling out probably the best nine they can at the moment. Is it damning with the faint praise to say that about a lineup that has Jake Bauers batting first and Billy McKinney batting fifth? You be the judge.

How to watch

Location: Guaranteed Rate Field — Chicago, IL

First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET

TV broadcast: YES Network / NBCSCH

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9, WADO 1280

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