Quick Yankee Notes

Much different from my former mother in law…

No Mr. Woodcock?…

Yankeesource: Jake Cousins hasn't pitched much but he's a Stuff+ leaderboard type of arm that could thrive under Blake if he can stay healthy. The Yankees may already have an approach to take with Cousins in play here.



Clay Holmes with Pirates before trade:

4.93 ERA, 5.4 BB/9, 9.4 K/9



Jake Cousins: Last 3 seasons (52.2 IP) *Injuries

3.08 ERA, 6.3 BB/9, 12.3 K/9

New York Yankees vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Series preview
The Bombers head to Chase Field hot off a four-game sweep of the Astros.
www.pinstripealley.com/2024/4/1/24117386/yankees-mlb-series-preview-astros-probable-pitchers-luis-gil-nestor-cortes-carlos-rodon-zac-gallen

The Yankees started their season with a bang, sweeping the Astros in four games to stun a Houston crowd expectant of a far different season opening series. Juan Soto tied a franchise record by reaching base 12 times in his first 20 plate appearances while Oswaldo Cabrera launched a pair of game-tying home runs, stepping up in DJ LeMahieu’s absence.

The Bombers fly to Phoenix for three games against the Diamondbacks so let’s preview the probable starting pitching matchups.

Monday: Luis Gil vs. Ryne Nelson (9:40 pm ET)

Luis Gil makes his first MLB start in 691 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2022. He won the fifth starter job out of spring with a 2.87 ERA and 23 strikeouts across five Grapefruit League appearances, beating the likes of Luke Weaver, Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, and Cody Poteet. His fastball sat in the upper-90s all spring and his changeup is exhibiting improved command and movement. In seven big league starts, Gil is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA, 4.12 FIP, and 43 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.

Ryne Nelson was the Diamondbacks’ second round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft and made his debut in 2022. His last start was arguably the best of his career given the situation, holding the Rangers to a run on three hits in 5.1 innings with six strikeouts in Game 4 of the World Series. He throws a four-seamer in the mid-90s, backed up by a cutter, changeup, and slider all in the low-80s, the change thrown exclusively to lefties. In 27 starts last year, Nelson went 8-8 with a 5.31 ERA (82 ERA+), 5.07 FIP, and 96 strikeouts in 144 innings.

Tuesday: Nestor Cortes vs. Zac Gallen (9:40 pm ET)

Nestor had a bend but don’t break start on Opening Day. Things looked like they could spiral after Jake Meyers’ home run to lead off the second gave the Astros a 4-0 lead, but he and the bullpen held them there, allowing the offense to complete the comeback. Following the start, Cortes said he was satisfied with his pitches from a stuff standpoint, but that it took him a few innings to find command on both sides of the strike zone. He can build on those positive as he takes the next step back from an injury-plagued 2023, when he made just 12 starts with a 4.97 ERA.


Zac Gallen is the undisputed ace of the Diamondbacks and was excellent on Opening Day, holding the Rockies to a run on three hits in five innings. He tied Gerrit Cole for the fifth-highest pitching fWAR (5.2) in 2023 and has the fourth-lowest ERA (3.04) and fifth-most fWAR (9.3) among qualified starting pitchers over the last two seasons. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series, but the Rangers offense stormed back to win the franchise’s first ring. In 34 starts last year, Gallen was 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA (125 ERA+), 3.26 FIP, and 220 strikeouts in 210 innings, finishing third in NL Cy Young balloting behind Blake Snell and Logan Webb.

Wednesday: Carlos Rodón vs. Merrill Kelly (3:40 pm ET)

It was a grind from first pitch to last, but Carlos Rodón impressively gritted his way through his start against the Astros, ultimately holding them to a run on five hits in 4.1 innings. His fastball velocity looked good at 96 and he got some soft contact on his new cutter, but he needs to improve his execution in two-strike counts, with four of the Astros’ five hits coming in such a situation. All the same, it was a positive first step after a disastrous debut season that saw him miss the first half to injury and then return to post a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts.

Merrill Kelly returned from a four-year stint in KBO to become one of the National League’s more dependable starters, his 32 wins ranking 12th, 90 starts tying for seventh, 536 IP ranking sixth, 3.66 ERA ranking 19th, and 8.6 fWAR ranking 18th over the last three seasons. He was nails in the 2023 postseason, going 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA that included a World Series Game 2 gem — a run on three hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. His changeup was the second-best in the business last year, 16 runs better than average according to Statcast with a 32 percent whiff rate and .180 batting average against. He was also excellent in his first start, limiting Colorado to a run on three hits with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings. In 30 starts last year, Kelly went 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA (132 ERA+), 3.85 FIP, and 187 strikeouts in 177.2 innings.

Will stanton make a contribution (a good one) this year or is his time past?

To me that IKF is not on the team already is the true shock.

IKF ??? ...  WTF ??? 

Ah, your first encounter with Noetsi.  That's a normal reaction.