I suspect Cole's leash will be as long as possible tonight. That's good for the Yankees for all the reasons I outlined at the start of this series. The matchup for Cole is strong, and he can once again dominate the Los Angeles Dodgers. There's a reason he has a 1.7 ERA against them in his last starts.
Soto has gone Over the number in this market in nine of 13 postseason games, including three of four during the World Series. He saw 15 pitches across three plate appearances against Dodgers righty Jack Flaherty in Game 1, and Soto has been a force throughout the playoffs with a .442 wOBA and .319 ISO while racking up 15 hits, 10 runs and nine RBI.
Neil ParkerPicked 4 hrs, 53 min ago.
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Jack Flaherty u2.5 Walks Given (-145)
Flaherty went 5.1 innings in the series opener and issued just a single free pass, and his postseason walk numbers (3.48 BB/9 and 9.0 BB%) are still way above the 2.11 BB/9 and 5.9 BB% he posted during the regular season. Additionally, while his 4.95 xFIP across 20.2 innings during the playoffs is nothing to write home about, it’s still well below his 6.10 ERA. Simply put, another solid outing shouldn’t surprise, and I also don’t expect Flaherty to be pitching deep into this game with the Dodgers having multiple go-to relievers rested.
Cole went six innings in Game 1 of the World Series without walking a batter and scattering just four hits. I’m not anticipating as tidy of an outing from the veteran tonight in Game 5. Cole’s 2.82 postseason ERA is saddled with a 5.18 xFIP, and Los Angeles was a force against right-handed starters during the regular season with a second-ranked .335 wOBA and .188 ISO. The Dodgers have posted respective .335 and .199 overall marks in the playoffs, too.
NY Yankees (-144)
Jack Flaherty u2.5 Walks Given (-145)
Gerrit Cole u16.5 Outs Recorded (-110)
