Gerrit Cole could pitch on short rest Sunday vs. Rays if Yankees need a win for wild-card race

TORONTO – The Yankees’ loss to the Blue Jays Wednesday night further tightened an already tight American League wild-card race and brought into the spotlight an intriguing question:

If the Yankees are in a must-win situation Sunday against the Rays at the Stadium, would they bring back ace Gerrit Cole on short rest?

That would take him out of contention to start the AL wild-card game, slated for Tuesday.

"Everything’s on the table," manager Boone said before Thursday night's game aganst the Blue Jays... "That [Sunday] feels like a ways away still right now…but certainly it's something we'd have to consider."

The Yankees, who started Corey Kluber against AL Cy Young favorite Robbie Ray, came into the night one game ahead of the Red Sox, who played in Baltimore Thursday, for the top wild-card slot, 1 ½ games ahead of the Mariners, who were idle Thursday, and two games clear of the Blue Jays.

If it is up to Cole – and on a decision like that, the righthander will ultimately have the final say-so – he’s all for it.

"The last game," Cole said late Wednesday night, asked when he felt he could next be ready to pitch.

That would be on short rest – three days – something Cole has done one other time in his career.

It was last Oct. 9 in San Diego for Game 5 of the ALDS against the Rays, a 2-1 Tampa Bay victory, though Cole more than did his part to advance the Yankees, allowing one run and one hit over 5 1/3 innings in which he walked two and struck out nine.

"I wish I could just keep pitching right now and start throwing out some zeros and, you know, make up for [this outing]," Cole said Wednesday after a disappointing start in which he allowed five runs and nine hits – one shy of his season-high – over six innings. "So as soon as possible [I want to get back out there]. But we're going to have to be better than we were tonight."

Cole was not good Wednesday as he was victimized by trying to establish what was a less than precise fastball by a team who came out hunting that exact pitch.

"I think our game plan to establish the fastball and their game plan to jump it kind of matched up together," Cole said. "It’s not to say that if I don’t execute my pitches better, maybe there’s a better result."

The results overall for Cole have been good this season – he’s 16-8 with a 3.23 ERA with 243 strikeouts in 181 1/3 innings – but not in the last month.

Since leaving his start after 3 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays Sept. 7 at the Stadium with left hamstring tightness, Cole is 2-1 but with a 6.35 ERA in four starts. Looking deeper into that, the first of those starts was Sept. 14 at Baltimore when Cole allowed one run and four hits in five innings. In three starts since – against Cleveland, Boston and Toronto – Cole has a 7.64 ERA, allowing five homers and six doubles in a combined 17 2/3 innings.

Cole said the hamstring has not been an issue and, when it comes to velocity at least, he doesn’t seem to be negatively impacted by it. There has not been a noticeable dip in his fastball velocity – certainly not Wednesday when Cole’s four-seam fastball averaged a tick over 97 mph, where it typically is, hitting 100 mph several times.

"Physically, I think the velocity is in a good spot," Cole said. "Things have rebounded well since a couple of those injury mishaps. I’m in a good enough spot to make enough good pitches. I’ve just got to make those pitches at the right times."

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.