Andrew and Kunj discuss the three different kinds of Gerrit Cole starts so far — tough-luck loss, overpowering win, and grind-it-out win — while also bringing up the value of his good rapport with backup catcher Kyle Higashioka. It’s clear that Higgy should receive the lion’s share of Cole starts over Gary Sánchez, but they still think it’s important for Sánchez to at least occasionally catch him.

As for the offense? The Higashioka homers were nice, as was the 10th-inning rally on Sunday, but it still has to do better. They were dominated by the Rays’ bullpen and have been hitting into far too many double plays. They're not panicking about whether or not this offense is actually good because the talent is there, but it can easily improve. Minimizing Jay Bruce is part of that.

They also briefly touched on Tyler Wade and Domingo Germán’s demotions, the tone-deaf Mushnick comments on Sánchez using an interpreter, and Aaron Hicks taking a deserved mental health day in memory of Daunte Wright. 

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