Game 138: Yankees (Cole) at Rangers (Leiter) 8:05pm EDT

The thing is, I bet that with a real closer behind him, he'll still make a terrfic set-up guy. No shame he can't close successfully often enough to hold the job long-term. Lots of good set-up guys can't close. 

Cramps.

win #80 to end the mini-slide keeping us in 1st place a game over the O's. not of course w/o some drama. close calls for chisholm & wells. hopefully cole as well as he left the game w leg cramps.

as good as cole was, will only give an HM. close but will give it to gleyber for an excellent all around game. his 2 run double got things started. was 3-5 overall. his tremendous diving stop and throw to end might well have changed the game. jazz & soto also deserve mention. jazz 2 hits, a couple steals, good defensive plays and extra credit for running into a wall. soto 2 hits and on base 3 times as maybe he's coming out of his little funk.

only yankee left out of the hit parade was wells and now 0-9. he's started 4 in a row. pretty sure boone gives him a day off tomorrow especially after taking that pitch off his wrist.

The stars of the game...HM to Judge for the double that cracked through on Leiter, knocking him out, Soto for hitting the ball hard 3 times, 2 hits, and a run, another walk. Rizzo for the inside-out bloop double that scored 2 and broke it open in the 5-run 6th. Hill did a decent job in his 1 1/3, gave up just a single, not his fault Holmes did his usual number and let the inherited runner score. Hill was terrible with the White Sox, and I have no idea how he functions in the modern major leagues on less than 3 K's per 9 innings, but he's pitched very well in middle/long relief for the Yanks.

3rd star of the game: Chisholm, for 2 hits, 2 steals, 2 runs and a RBI, a couple of nifty plays at 3rd. Lotsa energy, Still chases too much, gets himself out. Talent isn't the endpoint of great players, but it is the beginning, and he's still young enough to really pull things together in the next 2-3 seasons and become an All-Star, MVP downballot votes player. Don't know if he's gonna get there, but it's the right type of trade gamble to take.

2nd star of the game: Torres...3 hits, big 2-run double in the 3rd to get the lead the Yanks never gave up, beat out the infield hit to Jung to start the 5-run 6th, and made a terrific stop and throw in the 9th to prevent Holmes from getting into so much trouble he might've blown the game, getting the final out on the one hop shot up the middle.

1st star of the game: Cole. Got into trouble in the 1st, but got himself out humping up to 97-8 sevaral times to get a easy fly by Garcia and whiff Lowe, and it was pretty much smooth sailing from there until he got a calf cramp that knocked him out of the game during warm-ups for the 7th inning. 6 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 1 BB and 9 K's. Not quite an Ace's Game, but plenty good enough. He's now 6-3 on the season, and his ERA is down to 3.65, and his 7th excellent start in the last 9 games.

OK, so game 2 is tomrrow on YES at 8;05 again, Carlos Rodon (14-9, 4.31) goes for the Yanks, and we hope he can keep his cool, figuratively and literally. Ex-Yankee Andrew Heaney starts for the Rangers, he's 4-13 with a3.95 ERA, and it would be nice if he gave to the Yanks a couple of the HRs he seemed to give up every start with the Yanks.

OK, game preview done, I'll check notifications.