Moose on the Loose: Rotation rolling
THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — The Yankees have been really good this season; that is not a surprise.
They have the best record in the American League. You expected the offense to be great and dynamic and they have picked it up.
As a group, they have scored 247 runs in 51 games, with 73 homers and are hitting .255, which is fifth best in baseball.
The surprise has been the Yankees starting rotation. They have been good and have done it all without their ace Gerrit Cole, who has yet to make a regular-season start this season.
Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil have made a combined 51 starts, 22 of which are quality starts.
All five have a combined era of 2.86. 25-year-old righty Luis Gil has been the real find over his 10 starts, pitching to a 2.11 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.
As Cole continues to rehab and took a major step forward Tuesday as he threw to live batters, the question will be, who gets bumped from the rotation? Cole is set to come off the IL on May 27th, but the real target return date is sometime in June for a return.
When you look at it from a macro perspective, has this rotation shown enough from a depth perspective that you can trust them in the regular season? Yes.
How about October? If you get Cole back, he is vintage Cole.
Is the rest of the rotation good enough to help this team win a World Series for the first time since 2009?
I always maintained through the off-season that the Yankees needed to add a starter by the MLB trade deadline to help this team when it mattered most, which is October. Maybe the answers are from within.
Listen, we have a long way to go in the regular season, and the Yankee rotation needs to stay healthy and productive. But give credit where it is due; without their best and most talented starter, they have been better than good. They have given manager Aaron Boone length and quality starts.
I could not ask for anything more, and it has been a pleasant surprise.
Until next time, New York, I’m Marc Malusis.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
