Gerrit Cole‘s explosive fastball was missing and his spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on grip enhancers began. He allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings before turning over a lead to the Yankees’ bullpen, and Ryan O’Hearn and the Kansas City Royals rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to beat New York 6-5 Tuesday night.
O’Hearn, a 27-year-old playing his first major league game in three weeks following a stint at Triple-A Omaha, homered off Cole in the fourth and hit an infield single that tied the score 3-all in the eighth.
Jarrod Dyson‘s go-ahead grounder brought Carlos Santana home with a great slide that beat second baseman Tyler Wade‘s throw, and Hunter Dozier and Michael A. Taylor singled in runs.
Jake Brentz (2-0) won after allowing New York to take a 3-2 lead on his seventh-inning wild pitch.
After missing the first 45 games with a right oblique injury and returning to play 10, SS Adalberto Mondesi went on the 10-day IL on Monday for the third time, now for a strained left oblique. .
Royals LHP Danny Duffy (4-3, 1.94) is to make his first start Wednesday since May 12 after recovering from a strained left forearm and will take the mound Wednesday against RHP Michael King (0-3, 4.08) at 6:05.
The first place White Sox lead second place Cleveland by 2 games, the third place Royals are 9 games out.