NEW YORK – Into June, Luis Gil was more than a placeholder for the injured Gerrit Cole.
Gil essentially became Cole, last year’s unanimous AL Cy Young Award winner, by posting an 8-1 record with a 1.82 ERA over his first 12 starts.
Gil’s last five starts haven’t been so hot, and you wonder if the Yankees might be headed toward Gil being a multi-inning bullpen weapon down the stretch and into October.
Maybe that’s the way it goes down the road, once Clarke Schmidt returns from a lat strain – sometime in August? – assuming the Yanks have a healthy and functioning rotation led by Cole.
For now, the Yankees need Gil to find something close to that May magic, when he was the AL Pitcher and Rookie of the Month.
Tuesday night was the third straight start that Gil didn’t make it through the fifth inning, with some command and control issues, leading to a five-run deficit against the Cincinnati Reds.
Aaron Judge smashed his MLB-leading 32nd homer of the year, but the Yankees’ comeback bid fell short in a 5-4 Reds win at Yankee Stadium.