Gerrit Cole, Gleyber Torres set tone in Yankees’ series-opening win at Rangers

The Yankees began their three-game series at the Texas Rangers with an 8-4 win in Monday’s opener.

Takeaways

1. New York got a shutdown start from its ace, Gerrit Cole, when it needed one. Before exiting during seventh-inning warmups, due to cramping in his right calf, Cole struck out nine and walked one while limiting Texas (66-72) to one run on four hits through six frames.

His lone blemish came on a 2-2 count with two outs in the third inning when former Yankees prospect Josh Smith‘s RBI double to left-center field scored Marcus Semien from first base and cut into New York’s lead at 2-1. Still, Cole took an early 2-0 cushion from the inning’s top half and shoved with 56 strikes on 82 pitches.

Ultimately, Cole (6-3, 3.65 ERA) was exactly what the Yankees pay him to be in a get-right game. Fortunately for New York, while you never want to see your $324 million man wave the trainers over on the mound and take him out, he seems fine — the team says it will monitor his status Tuesday.

2. Have a day, Gleyber Torres. Up to a four-game hitting streak with his first three-knock performance in more than a month — the previous instance came July 26 at the Boston Red Sox — Torres gave Cole all that he needed.

With one out and two on in the third inning after back-to-back singles by Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo, Torres roped Jack Leiter‘s 3-2 slider into the left-center gap for a two-RBI double that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead and enough comfort for Cole. The Yankees created further separation in the final four frames, including Aaron Judge‘s sixth-inning RBI double on a 2-1 count with none out to score Torres, but Torres put New York ahead before Cole kept it that way.

3. It’s only been two games, but Anthony Rizzo looks promising since his Sunday activation from the 60-day injured list with a right forearm fracture that originated in June. He followed Sunday’s debut, a 2-for-4 effort with one RBI in the Yankees’ 14-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, by bringing home some more runs Monday.

Rizzo’s two-RBI double with one out and the bases loaded in the seventh inning turned a potential save situation into a five-run gap. More importantly, it showed Rizzo’s ability to be a factor that New York needs into the season’s home stretch of September and October.

4. For the third series in a row, the Yankees took the opener. Now, will they finally take care of business in the remaining games against a sub-.500 opponent and win their first series since Aug. 24-26 against the Colorado Rockies?

New York (80-58) is a half-game ahead of the 80-59 Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. It’s time for the Yankees to build off a shutdown performance from their ace and get serious as they delve deeper into a six-game road trip.

Who’s the MVP?

Cole, who set the tone for the Yankees and flirted with double-digit strikeouts.

Highlights

What’s next

The Yankees and Rangers continue their three-game set with Tuesday’s 8:05 p.m. matchup.

Left-handers Carlos Rodon (14-9, 4.31 ERA) and Andrew Heaney (4-13, 3.95 ERA) are set to start.