For the second straight start, Cole gave up a home run to the first batter he faced -- in this instance, Francisco Lindor. The veteran hurler actually yielded a homer to the first three batters against the Angels in his previous outing, and though that didn't happen this time around, Cole did give up three long balls overall. He's now surrendered seven home runs over his past two starts (both losses), more than he had given up in his previous 11 starts combined. It's not the ideal time for Cole to be struggling, both because the Yankees are trying to catch Tampa Bay in the AL East and because fantasy managers in most head-to-head leagues are in the midst of the playoffs. Cole will look to get back on track in his next appearance, which is lined up to be on the road in Arizona.

Cole started his outing by giving up home runs to the first three batters he faced. This was actually the second time in Cole's career that he allowed three consecutive homers to start a game -- the first came in 2022 against the Twins. The right-hander served up a fourth solo homer in the seventh inning but still tied his longest outing of the campaign. Cole has issued two or fewer walks in each of his past five starts, though he hasn't had his strikeout stuff lately with just 13 punchouts in his past three outings (18.1 innings). He lines up for a matchup with the Mets his next time out.