LEADING OFF: Cole vs Donaldson gets sticky, Texas cuts Davis

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday:

STICKY SITUATION

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has found himself in a sticky situation.

Days after Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson off-handedly alleged that Cole had been using foreign substances to sharpen his stuff, the pair will go head to head with Cole on the mound for New York at Minnesota.

The pitches Cole threw in his previous outing didn’t rotate as much as usual, and Donaldson casually wondered aloud last week whether Cole had suddenly stopped using substances that could spike his spin rates, fearing an MLB crackdown.

Cole said the spin issues were due to mechanical flaws.

“I understand this topic is important to everybody that cares about the game,” Cole said. “In regards to Josh, I kind of felt like it was a bit of a low-hanging fruit, but he’s entitled to his opinion and to voice his opinion, so I just have other things that I need to keep my focus on.”

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT

Burly, bearded right-handers Lance Lynn and Alek Manoah are set to square off as the White Sox host the Blue Jays.

Lynn -- listed at 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds -- has allowed one run or fewer in five of his past six starts for Chicago. During that span, Lynn (7-1, 1.23 ERA) allowed three earned runs, all via solo homer.

Manoah (1-0, 3.86) will make his third big league start for Toronto. After blanking the Yankees over six innings in his debut, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound righty gave up four runs to the Marlins in a 6-5 win last week.

STRUGGLING SLUGGER

Former major league home run leader Khris Davis is available after being cut by the Texas Rangers.

Texas designated the 33-year-old Davis for assignment on Tuesday. Acquired in the February trade that sent shortstop Elvis Andrus to Oakland,...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Cole-vs-Donaldson-gets-sticky-Texas-16234507.php