Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole in another attempt to stay alive in the World Series

NEW YORK – The Yankees are still playing because of their bats, but if they’re going to threaten the Dodgers more seriously, they’ll need their frontline starters to step up in a similar fashion.

Again, there is no time for delays and no room for error. The Yankees enter Wednesday’s game trailing the Dodgers 3-1 in the World Series, but after Anthony Volpe’s grand slam led to an 11-run outburst on Tuesday, they’re turning to another lifelong Yankee fan in Game 5 when Gerrit Cole starts opposite Jack Flaherty.

“We’re excited to get back out there,” Cole said Tuesday. “We’re still in the World Series. We’re in the Bronx. We still have a shot at this.”

“Just stay in the zone, in the moment (and) focused.”

New York’s hitters accomplished that goal Tuesday, finally breaking out against a Dodgers bullpen game after combining for just seven runs in the first three games of the World Series. The contributions from the bottom of the rankings were especially notable, as Volpe hit a grand slam from the No. 7 spot and No. 8 hitter Austin Wells added a home run of his own.

At a time when Aaron Judge isn’t finding the barrel, continued quality at-bats from further down the batting order will be necessary if the Yankees want to send this series back to Los Angeles. Additionally, the breakout offense allowed Yankees manager Aaron Boone to turn to Tim Mayza for the final three outs instead of pushing Luke Weaver for another inning — a break that could pay off later in the series.

As for Cole, he did his part in Game 1, throwing six innings of one-run baseball while striking out four and throwing 88 pitches. Had it not been for Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam against Nestor Cortes, Cole’s performance might have been remembered differently.

“We’ve done a good job over the year of flushing out the bad stuff and been resilient and tried to stay even-keeled when things are really going well,” Cole said.

Flaherty, a native of Burbank, California, who grew up rooting for the Dodgers, was nearly as effective as Cole in Game 1, allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings while striking out six, but did experience some hamstring strain as the start progressed. . That affected his preparation between starts, but doesn’t change his availability for a potentially decisive Game 5.

“It has caused some extra work that I normally wouldn’t have to do, but I feel good,” he said. “Right now it’s not something I’m worried about.”

Behind Flaherty, the Dodgers’ bullpen should also be in decent shape. Daniel Hudson has now pitched in back-to-back games, and Ben Casparius, Landon Knack and Brent Honeywell each threw at least 43 pitches in Tuesday’s loss. Everyone but Hudson will likely be in trouble on Wednesday.

Yet there still remains the majority of the Dodgers’ “winning” bullpen, a unit that includes Michael Kopech, Anthony Banda, Alex Vesia, Ryan Brasier, Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen. They’ve all been used heavily this month, but after a bad day they’ll be available for manager Dave Roberts as the Dodgers look to win their eighth World Series in franchise history and first since 2020.

“To have six guys in your pen that feel good and rested, I feel good about that,” Roberts said. “And a 3-1 lead.”

“They’re all rested,” Roberts continued. “So we have guys who can do an up-down. Knowing there is a bad day (Thursday), we are in a great spot with leverage receivers.

On the other hand, the Yankees might have to ask some of their best relievers to pitch three straight. Tim Hill, Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr. and Weaver have all pitched in both games in New York, creating the possibility of three straight appearances – something managers typically avoid in the regular season and even early October.

However, with the season on the line, now is the time for Boone to push forward, ideally after a strong start from Cole. Where that leads will determine whether the series returns to Los Angeles.

“No predictions,” Weaver said, the team is closer. “Day after day, dude. Day after day.”