(Photo credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

The New York Yankees will go for a series victory and a winning road trip when they face the Chicago Cubs in the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday.

To do that, they will call on veteran right-hander Gerrit Cole (4-5, 3.57 ERA) to continue his domination of the Cubs. Cole, 35, is 11-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 17 starts against the North Siders. The 2023 American League Cy Young winner has beaten Chicago more than any other team in his 13-year career.

Cole's last start against the Cubs was a loss that took place on Sept. 8, 2024. He allowed two first-inning runs, both unearned, over six innings, striking out seven against three hits and a walk. However, the Cubs made those runs stand in a 2-1 victory.

Manager Aaron Boone's squad has had to rely on its pitching of late to stay atop of the AL wild-card standings and within striking distance of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. In the first nine games on the road trip, Yankees starters have allowed just 12 runs over 50 1/3 innings, and nine of those runs came in two starts.

However, New York has won only five of those games in large part because of the team's offensive woes. Yankee batters on the trip are hitting just .199 (62-for-312) and have scored only 30 runs. Their .233 season average is the fourth-lowest in the majors this season.

'We don't have a lot of margin for error when you're not putting a lot of points on the board,' Boone said after Saturday's loss. He noted that getting 10 on base Saturday was a good sign, 'but obviously, we need to keep doing a little bit more.'

The inert offense cost the Yankees Saturday as the Cubs rallied with four runs in its last two innings Saturday to pull out a 5-2 victory and even the series at a game each.

Nico Hoerner homered to start the seventh and tied the game at two, but after the game, both he and Cubs manager Craig Counsell raved about Pedro Ramirez's two-out, pinch-hit walk later in the frame. That seven-pitch at-bat kept the inning alive and allowed Pete Crow-Armstrong to score the rookie on his go-ahead triple.

Counsell said Ramirez, a second baseman who has also seen time at third base and designated hitter this summer, was a player who 'opened the most eyes in spring training.'

Since being called up in late May, the switch-hitter is batting .319 in 38 games.

'He's kind of got his feet on the ground now, and he's doing a heck of a job' Counsell said.

Chicago is looking to win its sixth series out of the last seven. Righty Colin Rea (8-7, 4.67) will start for the Cubs. In three career starts against the Yankees, Rea, 36, has a 1-0 record with a 4.32 ERA, but that win came more than a decade ago when he was a rookie with the San Diego Padres.

The last time he faced New York came on April 26, 2024 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. He went six innings, allowing five runs on four hits and three walks. Three of those hits were homers in a game the Brewers won 7-6 in 11 innings.

-Field Level Media