Gerrit Cole delivers another strong outing as hot Yankees nip White Sox
CHICAGO — When the calendar flipped to July, Gerrit Cole received a fresh slate to get back on track following a rocky June.The Yankees veteran right-hander is now about to enter August on a heater.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Cole delivered the goods on Tuesday to finish off a strong July in style, tossing six shutout innings to lift the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the White Sox at Rate Field.After Angel Chivilli and Brent Headrick kept the shutout alive in relief of Cole, David Bednar — pitching for the fourth time in five days — made things interesting in the ninth when he gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Chase Meidroth.The runs were the first he allowed since May 18, snapping a 21-game scoreless streak, but Bednar held on to close out the White Sox (55-51).Despite not often feeling like it, because of injuries and a mostly scuffling offense, the Yankees (61-46) have now won 11 of their last 15 games, pulling within 1.5 games of the Rays for first place in the AL East with the trade deadline looming.A night after an offensive outburst, the Yankees scratched across three runs in the second inning — on run-scoring doubles from Anthony Volpe and Max Schuemann — to give Cole all the support he needed.After posting a 6.12 ERA in five June starts, Cole pitched to a 2.97 ERA over five July starts, looking much more like his old self as he continues his first season back from Tommy John surgery.Cole’s six strong innings were sorely needed after the last two Yankees starters — Max Fried and Will Warren — had lasted a combined six innings, putting an extra toll on the bullpen.
His 99th and final pitch of the night was a 97 mph fastball that got Braden Montgomery whiffing for Cole’s seventh strikeout to finish the sixth.The Yankees’ second-inning rally began with back-to-back singles from Jasson Domínguez and Trent Grisham against White So...