Gerrit Cole will take the mound Wednesday against the Rays in his continued effort to get right before October.
One of his toughest matchups will be waiting for him in the box.
Yandy Díaz has been ice cold lately, having gone without a hit in his past five games, but Cole offers a good opportunity for the Rays first baseman to break out of his slump.
The Tampa Bay slugger has consistently handled the Yankees right-hander throughout his career, batting .340 with a .520 slugging percentage and .909 OPS in 50 at-bats against him.
He has 17 hits in those meetings, including three doubles and two home runs.
Díaz has carried that success into this season as well, going 3-for-6 with a double against Cole in 2026.
Cole bounced back after a tough run of late in his last start, allowing two runs over six innings while striking out six against the Diamondbacks, but he hasn’t exactly been dominant down the stretch of the season.
Before his last outing, Cole surrendered nine earned runs and seven home runs over his previous two starts.
Cole, in fact, has been hit hard all season, allowing an average exit velocity (90.9 mph) and hard-hit percentage (45.2 percent) that rank in the bottom four percent of the league.
That gives Díaz a solid chance at doing some damage against a pitcher he has consistently seen well.
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Batting near the top of the Rays’ lineup should also give Díaz multiple chances to cash this prop, and one extra-base hit would be enough to get him there.
This is a spot to bet on the matchup rather than Díaz’s recent struggles at the plate.
The play: Yandy Díaz over 1.5 total bases (+115, FanDuel)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
