After a wild Tuesday rainout kept the tarp on the field, the Pirates (52-49) and Yankees (56-44) are hitting Yankee Stadium today for a day-night doubleheader. This isn’t just a couple of games to make up for lost time; these are huge for both clubs. The Yankees are sitting pretty atop the Wild Card standings, but they’re still two games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Meanwhile, the Pirates are clawing their way back, 11 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, but, crucially, they’re tied for the final Wild Card spot. Remember Monday? New York kicked off the series with an 8-5 win, powered by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s two homers and five RBI. Today, the stakes are even higher.
Game 1: Keller’s Struggles vs. Cole’s Comeback
Game 1 throws two veteran right-handers onto the mound: Mitch Keller (6-7, 5.14 ERA) for the Pirates and Gerrit Cole (3-5, 3.93 ERA) for the Yankees. Let’s be real, Keller has been a mess for about the last six weeks, giving up 26 earned runs over just 35 innings. His two July starts? Even worse, coughing up eight runs in nine innings. And get this: in his last outing, Keller gave up three home runs. Against a Yankees lineup that hits more dingers than anyone else in the league, that’s a total red flag. For the Yanks, Cole is starting to look like his old self after returning from Tommy John surgery in late May. He was special against the Dodgers in his last start, fanning hitters and dealing, right up until Max Muncy took him deep in the seventh inning, leading to a tough 2-1 Yankees loss. Still, in July, Cole’s thrown 17.1 innings, allowed seven earned runs, walked only two, and struck out 21. That’s the Cole we know, and they’ll need him.
Game 2: Bubba Chandler’s Inconsistency Meets Fried’s Urgent Return
The nightcap is where things get truly wild with a matchup of power arms at opposite ends of their journeys. For Pittsburgh, Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77 ERA) is one of their most talented young pitchers, armed with high-end strikeout stuff. But man, his command issues have led to some serious inconsistency. He’s struggled recently, posting a 6.60 ERA over his last three starts. While his most recent start, allowing two runs over 4.2 innings, was better than the previous two where he gave up nine runs in 10.1 innings combined, “great” is hardly the word. Then there’s Max Fried (4-3, 3.21 ERA) for the Yankees. All eyes will be on him. He’s being activated from the injured list for tonight’s game after being sidelined since May with a bone bruise in his elbow. He was supposed to get another rehab start, but that stormy Tuesday rainout accelerated his return. The big news? He’s expected to throw a maximum of 60 pitches. Talk about a roll of the dice in a crucial Wild Card fight.
This doubleheader isn’t just another pair of games on the schedule; for both the Pirates and the Yankees, these are two massive shots at solidifying their Wild Card bids. With Game 1 kicking off at 1:05 PM EST and Game 2 at 7:05 PM EST, every pitch will count. Can Keller overcome his slump against a powerful Yankees lineup? Will Cole continue his climb back to ace form? And the biggest question: How will Fried handle his urgent return to the mound with that strict pitch count? Tonight could change everything for one of these teams.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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