Gerrit Cole roughed up in worst start of season during Yankees loss to Tigers as skid hits three
DETROIT — Whether he was most frustrated by his inability to retire leadoff hitters, the Tigers finding some holes on him, or a pair of in-game delays, the problem was that Gerrit Cole had options.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
The Yankees did, too.On a third straight day when their offense was held in check, Cole got hit around more than he had all season as the Yankees dropped their third straight in a rough 5-3 loss to the Tigers on Monday night at Comerica Park.Cole, who came into the night holding opposing hitters to a .196 batting average in his first five starts back from Tommy John surgery, got tagged for nine hits and five runs across 4 ¹/₃ innings.He allowed the leadoff batter to reach in all five innings, including a home run in the fifth to Riley Greene, as the Tigers (34-44) raced out to a 5-1 lead.Tigers lefty Framber Valdez, meanwhile, suffocated the Yankees (46-31) after they squandered some early chances, retiring the final 10 batters he faced across six innings.
Amed Rosario belted a two-run shot in the seventh inning to pull the Yankees within 5-3, but that was as close as they would get.The Yankees threatened by putting a pair of runners on base with two outs in the eighth inning, but the Tigers brought in Will Vest — a possible trade deadline candidate for the Yankees — who struck out Jasson Domínguez and then retired the side in the ninth.Cole was initially scheduled to start on Sunday, but the Yankees bumped him to Monday while inserting Elmer Rodríguez as a spot starter to give each member of their rotation an extra day’s rest during a stretch of 16 games in 16 days (and with the long season in mind).But in the short term, that backfired on Sunday, when Rodríguez gave up three runs in four innings, and Cole wasn’t any sharper on Monday.Besides the actual loss, the Yankees may have suffered another when Ali Sánchez...