Twins vs Yankees starts later tonight, and the pitching picture is already changing. Gerrit Cole is set to face Mike Paredes on Friday at 7:04 pm ET. Carlos Rodón had been lined up for Saturday, but his move to the IL with left elbow inflammation now leaves the Yankees to sort out the rest of the series.
Gerrit Cole and Mike Paredes
Cole returns to the center of the matchup after two 6-plus inning shutout performances following his own trip back from the injured list. In one of those starts, he struck out 10, then his next five outings turned rough enough to drag his season line to a 6.12 ERA and a 5.95 FIP over that stretch.
Paredes brings a different profile. He has only made four career starts and seven games overall, and Friday will be his first career start against the Yankees after a call-up in late May. The Twins rookie has a 4.26 ERA, a 103 ERA+, and a 5.44 FIP.
Carlos Rodón on the IL
Saturday had been set for Rodón against Zebby Matthews at 1:35 pm ET before the Yankees shifted course. Rodón is going on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, and that change removes a starter who had given the club 3.30 ERA work with a 3.45 FIP, but also a 4.6 BB/9 rate and only 61 percent of his pitches landing for strikes.
The matchup history with Matthews gives the Yankees a recent point of reference. They saw him twice in August and September last year, and one of those meetings turned into a nine-run, 11-hit burst over three innings. That kind of early damage is the kind of script the Yankees need more often while the rotation keeps shifting around Rodón's absence.
Ryan Weathers and Joe Ryan
The series closes Sunday at 1:35 pm ET with Ryan Weathers against Joe Ryan. Weathers lasted 1.2 innings in his last start and allowed five runs to the Tigers, though only two were earned, while the Twins still go into the night with 110 home runs and a top-10 spot in MLB in that category.
That power has kept The Twins in the AL Central picture even after last year's trade deadline trimmed away a lot of their notable players, with Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan still carrying much of the load. For the Yankees, the immediate issue is simpler: stop the slide, survive the rotation change, and get through Friday before the Saturday hole opens up.
