Gerrit Cole Gives Up Back-to-Back HRs, Strikes out 7 in Yankees Intrasquad Game

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole struck out seven in a mostly dominant outing but allowed back-to-back home runs to Mike Ford and Miguel Andujar in an intrasquad game Friday evening.

Cole had retired 10 straight batters prior to the Ford home run. He also struck out the side in one frame and faced the minimum amount of batters through three innings.

Per Seth Rothman of YES Network, Cole allowed four hits and two earned runs over 5.2 innings. He issued no walks but hit one batter en route to throwing 53 strikes (87 pitches).

Cole has made three starts during the Yankees' Summer Camp. He struck out nine over 5.2 innings in his previous outing, allowing four hits.

In his first appearance, Cole threw five frames of one-run ball, striking out six. An Andujar solo shot was the only hit.

Friday will mark Cole's final start before he takes the mound July 23 on Opening Day against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals. Nats ace Max Scherzer will oppose him in Washington, D.C.

Aside from a few long balls, Cole looks ready to meet the massive hype he brought over from Houston, where he led the league with 326 strikeouts en route to a 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA and 0.895 WHIP.