3 takeaways from Yankees' series vs. Blue Jays: Gerrit Cole's progress, walking Aaron Judge and Juan Soto's right hand
Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees took two of three from Toronto over the weekend, winning the series finale on Sunday, 4-3, in 10 innings. Here are three takeaways from the series:
1. Gerrit Cole still is a work in progress.
After starting the season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner was scratched from making his eighth start on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The club used the phrase “general body fatigue” as the reason, with the idea that pushing Cole back a few extra days between starts might allow him to continue to build strength.
Cole, who got the ball in the series finale on Sunday, had an up-and-down day.
The good? Cole’s velocity held up in his 5 2⁄3-inning outing. His 91st and final pitch, a 97-mph fastball, caught Daulton Varsho looking. The not-so-good? Cole didn’t produce the kind of swing-and-miss he’s used to and saw the Blue Jays barrel up far too many baseballs.
But given Cole’s abilities, work ethic, etc., the safe way to bet is that he will get to where he wants and expects to be. He’s just not there yet.
2. Expect Aaron Judge to increasingly receive the John Schneider treatment, or some form of it.
The Toronto manager took the unusual step of intentionally walking Judge with none on and two outs in the second inning Saturday, the first time since Aug. 10, 1972, that a player was intentionally walked with the bases empty within the first two innings.
On Sunday, Schneider took it to another level. With Juan Soto on first and two outs in the fifth, Schneider committed what generally is considered a manager’s mortal sin, intentionally putting a runner in scoring position by free-passing Judge. Then, after Soto gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead with a leadoff homer in the seventh, Schneider put Judge on again. He made it a hat trick with one more intentional walk in the eighth.
Until the hitters following Judge consistently make the opposition pay for the free passes, Judge will continue to get them.
3. Soto’s right hand bears watching.
The outfielder, who heard frequent “MVP! chants at the Stadium in April, has to a degree been overshadowed by Judge since then. But Soto has been the club’s most consistent offensive performer throughout the season. His slumps have been mere blips.
Soto has played through a right hand injury for the last couple of months and seemed to aggravate it on Sunday.
After bruising the hand during a June series in Toronto, he slid headfirst into second on Sunday on an eighth-inning double and clearly was in pain.
“I’m still grinding with my hand. It’s definitely still sore to the touch,” he said.
The hand issue hasn’t been a negative factor for Soto, who has five homers in his last 12 games and is hitting .310 overall with a 1.035 OPS in 109 games. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be.
