Gerrit Cole (13-4, 2.79 ERA) returns to the ballpark that made him a household name when the Yankees (74-73) travel to PNC Park to take on the Pirates (69-78). Johan Oviedo (8-14, 4.34) will get the ball for the Buccos. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
The Yankees are -162 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Pirates are +136 underdogs. The total is set at 8.
Yankees-Pirates picks: Friday, September 15
Injury report
Yankees
Out: OF Jasson Domínguez (elbow), RP Ian Hamilton (right groin strain), RP Keynan Middleton (right shoulder inflammation)
Pirates
Out: OF/C Henry Davis (right hand strain),
Starting pitchers
Gerrit Cole vs. John Ovideo
Cole returns to the place where he spent the first five years of his career with a chance to lock down his first career Cy Young win. While Cole is the odds-on favorite to win the award (-1400 at DraftKings), he’ll likely need one more good start to hold off the surging Luis Castillo. Cole leads the AL in ERA (2.79), innings (187) and ERA+ (156) along with leading all of baseball in WHIP (1.027). He boasts a career 3.56 ERA in 397 1/3 innings at PNC Park, which is the most he’s pitched at any ballpark over his career.
After throwing a shutout against the Royals at the end of August, Ovideo’s been in a bit of a slump, as he’s gone 3 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs in each of his last two starts. He leads the NL in losses (14) and, outside of that shutout, hasn’t gone more than six innings in a start since Aug. 6.
Over/Under pick
I’m going with the under, in part because I think it’s going to be a Cole masterclass. While the Yankees don’t have anything to play for, Cole has his sights set on the Cy Young, and what better way to secure it than by stymieing your former team?
Pick: Under 8
Moneyline pick
The same logic applies here. The Yankees season has been over for a long time, but they still have enough talent to scrape a couple of runs across against Oviedo.
Pick: Yankees