Cole battles, Headrick delivers in clutch as pitching carries Yanks again
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CHICAGO -- The Yankees scored two runs Friday. They scored two more Saturday. Then, on Sunday, they did it again.
This time, Gerrit Cole and the pitching staff allowed those two runs to hold up.
Cole worked through 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball, Brent Headrick escaped a bases-loaded jam and the bullpen protected a one-run lead the rest of the way as the Yankees edged the Cubs, 2-1, at Wrigley Field.
It completed a series in which New York scored exactly two runs in all three games yet managed to win twice, a fitting conclusion to a road trip increasingly defined by the pitching staff’s ability to turn almost every contest into a game of inches.
“Phenomenal, really,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, the pitching’s been outstanding, but also in a lot of those games, doing some big things -- whether it’s bases, defense, enough with the bat, whatever. It’s about winning games.”
The Yankees went 6-4 on a trip through Philadelphia and Chicago that included three teams with postseason aspirations. It was rarely comfortable. Nearly every game seemed to hinge on one pitch, one defensive play or one productive swing.
New York’s starters made sure that was enough.
Over the past six games, Yankees starters have allowed three runs combined. Cole followed dominant outings from Max Fried, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Cam Schlittler and himself by holding Chicago to four hits and one run while striking out five.
The Yankees are still waiting for the offense to awaken. Until it does, the rotation continues to buy time.
“We know we’ve got to continue to move the needle offensively,” Boone said. “But another outstanding performance, starting with Gerrit today. We got enough done again offensively.”
That offense came entirely from José Caballero, who turned on a Colin Rea fastball in the third inning and sent it out for a two-run homer.
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Caballero’s 11th home run of the season left his bat at 106.6 mph and proved to be the only swing New York needed.
“That was his BP power right there,” Boone said. “In the wind, no doubt. We watch that every day in BP. It was good to see him really get a good swing off.”
Cole did the rest, even without his best command.
Cole walked Pete Crow-Armstrong to begin the afternoon before retiring nine consecutive hitters. Seiya Suzuki broke through with a leadoff double in the fourth and eventually scored, but Cole limited the damage and kept the Yankees in front.
“I thought it was OK today,” Cole said. “It was just a bit of a scrappy day. Command was a little fleeting. Stuff was, I think, affected by the wind. I would’ve liked not to have walked some guys, but at the same time, we were going for it and just missing. Sometimes that happens, and that’s what you’ve got to work with. So we worked with it.”
The most important work came in the sixth. Boone emerged from the dugout after an extended conversation, ending Cole’s afternoon at 99 pitches (63 strikes).
Headrick inherited the bases loaded and induced a flyout from Nico Hoerner to preserve the lead. He returned for the seventh and struck out the side.
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“Outstanding,” Cole said. “A huge out for us, then to come back out and dominate again with three strikeouts in the following inning was huge.”
Cole earned his fifth win and recorded victories in consecutive starts for the first time this season. He has now allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts, including two runs or fewer eight times, and owns a 2.75 ERA over his past six outings.
For all the frustration surrounding the lineup, the Yankees left Chicago at 63-49, only 2 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay (65-46) for the best record in the American League.
They have remained within striking distance because their pitchers keep forcing games to remain there, too.
“We’ve been playing rather effectively in close games,” Cole said. “The reality is, they scored one. We made it stick. We’ve just got to meet the game where it is that day, keep pushing, keep a positive mindset and keep trying to play crisp ball.”
Boone believes the accumulation of tight games could ultimately help.
“I think there’s value in playing in those games,” Boone said. “We’re going to get it going offensively. We’re going to get better offensively and hopefully become more of a complete team as we move through the next couple months.”
Until then, the formula remains uncomplicated. Score just enough. Pitch like it has to be. And wait for the offense to eventually break out of this lull.