The Yankees had plenty of reason for optimism after Gerrit Cole had his most dominant performance of the season.
But it was a shorter start than most others, so caution was advised.
Cole pitched well, recording a season-high 10 strikeouts on a night when he threw 90 pitches and recorded just 16 outs.
Manager Aaron Boone said he was being cautious with his ace pitcher, who was removed from the starting rotation in late July because of full-body soreness, and was “pretty strict” in limiting the number of innings the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner could throw.
The right-hander recovered from the soreness and earned a win against the Blue Jays on Sunday, allowing just two runs in 5 2/3 innings, but his pitching was again under scrutiny in the closing stages of a doubleheader in the Bronx on Saturday in a 9-4 loss to the Rangers.
“I’m just going to make sure I’m in a good spot with him,” said Boone, who replaced Cole in the sixth inning after Texas gave up five runs to Luke Weaver.
Cole was pleased with the way he was moving the ball, the velocity and the fact that fewer pitches were not even close to the zone.
He only conceded a run in the fourth inning, but even then his dominance was on display.
A single to Wyatt Langford and a walk to Nathaniel Lowe caused trouble for him, and an RBI single by Adolis Garcia came back to haunt him.
But with a runner on second and no outs, Cole struck out Leody Taveras, Carson Kelly and Josh Smith in succession.
“I felt good today,” said Cole, who induced 26 whiffs on 52 swings by the Rangers. “I made a lot of good pitches today.”
After a lengthy absence due to an elbow injury and a midseason break to allow additional time to recover, Cole is on the mend and the Yankees are looking to avoid another setback.
Boone said Cole has “good momentum” heading into the final few months of the season.
“I’ve definitely had moments this year where I’ve looked like I’m good, and then the next time I went out there, maybe I dropped off a little bit,” said Cole, who has a 4.70 ERA in nine starts. “I’m hoping to carry that consistency into my next outing.”
Trent Grisham left the first game after being hit by a fastball and suffering a contusion on his left hand.
Initial CT scans and X-rays showed nothing abnormal, and Boone said he believed “a crisis was averted.”
Grisham didn’t shy away from pitches, taking a 96.3 mph fastball from left-hander Brock Burke in the fourth inning and slinging his bat to the ground in apparent pain.
Grisham played in the game, but Boone said he left after the next inning because of swelling in his hand. Late Saturday, Grisham said the swelling had started to go down.
Oswaldo Cabrera was at third base and Jazz Chisholm Jr. advanced to center field.
Chisholm hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season, becoming the first player in franchise history to hit at least seven home runs in his first 12 games.
After striking out early in both games, Chisholm worked out in an indoor cage and said the adjustments paid off.
“It’s just about being quick on the ball and not running too long,” Chisholm said.
On Saturday, Cody Poteet performed a live session with Clark Schmidt.
Poteet, who is recovering from a right triceps injury, is scheduled to pitch two innings on Wednesday before the Yankees decide whether he will pitch more or begin a rehab program.
Anthony Volpe, who was replaced early in Thursday’s game after being hit by a ball on his leg and fouled out, returned to the lineup and played every inning.
Jon Berti and Anthony Rizzo got hits off Schmidt and Poteet and ran the bases on ground balls.
Berti (strained calf) is closer to returning than Rizzo (broken forearm).
Boone said Berti will likely repeat this week’s work next week.
The Yankees are being cautious with the infielder after he already had one setback.
“What I told him was, just take another day off and try and do it again before he starts that rehab assignment,” Boone said, “because I feel like he can be a really big part of our game down the stretch and into October baseball.”
Jose Trevino (strained left quad) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Sunday.
Ian Hamilton (right lat strain) did another side session on Friday.
He plans to move on to live sessions next week, once midweek and once more over the weekend.
Ron Marinaccio, recalled as the 27th hitter, pitched 2 1/3 innings in the opener, allowing only one hit and no runs.
The right-hander returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following the doubleheader.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark visited the team and stopped by the Yankees clubhouse and manager’s office.
“She was impressive,” Boone said, “and it was fun to see so many of our peers around her star-struck.”
— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman
