Gerrit Cole versus Hayden Wesneski does not look like an even pitching matchup.
But when the Houston Astros and New York Yankees meet Thursday night in the rubber game of their series at Yankee Stadium, Houston may need something from Wesneski that has become remarkably difficult for its rotation to provide: innings.
The Astros have gone 13 consecutive games without a starter completing six innings. The last one to do it was Wesneski, who threw seven innings against the Giants on Aug. 10. Since then, Houston’s starters have repeatedly turned games over to a bullpen increasingly strained by the workload.
Against Cole, another short start could be particularly costly.
Astros Finally Have Their Late-Inning Relievers Rested
Wednesday offered a painful illustration of Houston’s pitching problem. Peter Lambert battled through 5⅔ innings and left a 3-3 game in the seventh. Bennett Sousa then allowed six of the seven batters he faced to reach base as the Yankees scored four runs in the inning. Enyel De Los Santos allowed two more in the eighth, turning a close game into a 9-3 loss.
The Astros’ bullpen has an 8.76 ERA over the past six games. Thursday, however, Joe Espada should have his preferred late-inning options available. Steven Okert, Bryan Abreu, and Josh Hader did not pitch Wednesday.
The challenge is getting the game to them without asking the already taxed portions of the bullpen to cover several innings first. That puts considerably more importance on Wesneski. He does not necessarily need to match Cole inning for inning, but if he can work six—or perhaps more—Houston has a much clearer path through the latter part of the game.
Gerrit Cole Presents a Different Problem
Of course, getting six good innings from Wesneski solves only half of the equation. The Astros still have to score against Cole.
The former Astros ace enters Thursday 7-6 with a 3.11 ERA and 100 strikeouts. Cole has not faced Houston since June 25, 2022, making Thursday a relatively rare meeting between the Astros and the pitcher who helped lead them to the 2019 World Series.
The Astros have already demonstrated this season that imposing opponents do not necessarily bother them. They are 24-14 against teams currently at .500 or better, the best winning percentage in baseball in that category. The Yankees certainly qualify at 75-57.
Houston reinforced that peculiarity Tuesday by scoring nine runs in a win over New York, then returned to its more familiar recent offensive struggles Wednesday. Now it gets Cole with the series on the line.
Wesneski Returns to Yankee Stadium
Thursday also brings Wesneski back to the organization where his professional career began. The Yankees selected the Houston native in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he spent three seasons in their minor league system before New York traded him to the Cubs for reliever Scott Effross at the 2022 trade deadline.
Now he returns to Yankee Stadium wearing an Astros uniform and pitching in a game Houston could badly use. Wesneski enters Thursday 3-1 with a 4.23 ERA and 22 strikeouts.
His last outing came Friday against the Athletics, when he threw five scoreless innings in Houston’s 4-0 win. Five was enough that night.
Six would look awfully good Thursday.
Houston Has the AL West Stage to Itself
The Astros enter the finale 66-67, holding a half-game lead over Texas in an AL West race apparently determined to remain as ridiculous as possible.
Thursday also presents an unusual opportunity. Only seven games are scheduled across Major League Baseball, and the Astros are the only AL West team playing. For one night, Houston alone can change the division standings.
A win at Yankee Stadium would return the Astros to .500, give them a full-game lead over the idle Rangers, and send them out of New York having taken two of three from one of the American League’s better teams. Given the way the Astros have played this season, perhaps that should surprise no one.
Cole is the bigger name in Thursday’s matchup and the more accomplished pitcher by an enormous margin. If he is at his best, Houston’s hitters will have their hands full. But the Astros know what they need from the other side of the matchup.
Their bullpen finally has some of its most important arms rested, their rotation has gone more than two weeks without providing six innings, and the pitcher who last did it is taking the mound.
The Astros do not need Hayden Wesneski to be Gerrit Cole. They need him to give them enough innings to have a chance to beat him.
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