Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for Rockies Series (A Big Start for Will Warren)

The New York Yankees dropped a series to the San Diego Padres in which Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón took the mound. It was going to be a tough series, even with their firepower and the fact that the Padres aren't what they have been in past years, but it's still a disappointment to have lost it when a series win was on the table.

With two of those three games feeling like a gut punch, there's a chance for them to rebound against the Colorado Rockies.

It's an opportunity here to make noise in the division, even if it felt like a long shot for the Yankees coming out of the weekend. Against the Rockies, though, the Yankees should sweep — at least on paper they should.

The Yankees hope to find themselves in a scenario where they take all three from the Rockies, and then the Rays drop two of three to the Braves. Considering who the Yankees have on the mound and what the Rockies are throwing out, they can get within two of the AL East for the first time since July 25th.

With every matchup favoring the Yankees, there really isn't much of a reason for a sweep not to happen. That said, it would be devastating if it doesn't.

Tuesday, Sept. 8 (7:05 p.m. ET): Gabriel Hughes (COL) vs. Cam Schlittler (NYY)

Schlittler is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He's sitting on a 2.04 ERA in 171.2 IP, having eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark. Facing him will be Gabriel Hughes. The 25-year-old former first-round pick has struggled in his initial go in the big leagues. He has a 6.19 ERA in 52.1 IP.

This is the type of game where Schlittler should go six or seven strong innings. Nobody would be surprised if he doesn't allow a run and gets seven or eight strikeouts.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels. — New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler has been flat-out spectacular on the mound this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As for Hughes, looking at his ERA, it's one the Yankees' lineup should be able to string together runs in, but it could also be a trap game. Despite Hughes' poor start to his big-league career, he does limit damage well.

Opposing batters have a 4.8% barrel rate, a 28.9% hard-hit rate, and an average exit velocity of 87.6 MPH. Given the Yankees' propensity to struggle offensively, they can potentially have a hard time hitting Hughes.

Game 1 pitching advantage: Yankees

Tuesday, Sept. 9 (7:05 p.m. ET): Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) vs Will Warren (NYY)

This is another game that the Yankees should be able to take. Unlike Hughes, Sugano doesn't do much well. Hitters have an average exit velocity of 91.1 MPH, a 12.3% barrel rate, and a 43.4% hard-hit rate against him. Also, his expected ERA of 6.81 is in the 1st percentile, per Baseball Savant.

What the Yankees need from Warren here is what he did against the Boston Red Sox. Seven strong innings, with seven strikeouts, one walk, and no earned runs. Warren is also coming off a solid relief outing, putting up 2.1 scoreless innings with just a walk, no strikeouts, and no hits allowed either.

Here's an opportunity for Warren to keep his good fortunes going, all while the Yankees hit Sugano hard. The advantage goes to the Yankees here, but then again, Warren sometimes has a propensity to have some meltdowns. It's something the Yankees are hoping to avoid here.

Game 2 pitching advantage: Yankees

Wednesday, Sept. 10 (7:05 p.m. ET): Ryan Feltner (COL) vs Max Fried (NYY)

Feltner has been in the Rockies organization since 2018. The 30-year-old hasn't exactly had much success at the big-league level, and his 5.91 ERA this season is right around his career 5.36 mark.

The Hughes-Schlittler matchup might be the biggest trap game this series, and this one could be one, too. Feltner is decent at limited hard contact. He has allowed an average exit velocity of 87.2 MPH, and opposing batters have a 37% hard-hit rate.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. — Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner enters Wednesday's finale against the New York Yankees with a 5.91 ERA. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This could be one of those games where a bad starter is momentarily on the ropes early on, and they finish the game out strong by inducing a medley of weak ground balls to the shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman. That has happened all too often to the Yankees over the years.

That's the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario, though, is the Yankees knock around a pitcher with a career 5 ERA, and Fried shuts down Colorado. That is also the most likely scenario.

Game 3 pitching advantage: Yankees

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