Gerrit Cole has proven to be worth every bit of the $341 million the New York Yankees paid for him.

Well, so far.

There have been so many big free agent signings that have turned out disappointing. So it is refreshing to see a guy who is doing some of his best pitching AFTER getting the big money.

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Now Cole, who is setting new standards as far as masterful control is concerned, takes the mound on Monday night as the Yankees travel to Globe Life Field (with a full crowd) to tackle the Texas Rangers in a game that begins at 8:05 PM ET.

Cole is obviously a big favorite in this game. But we can fashion a way to cash a nice ticket.

Here is the setup:

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers Run Line Pick

Yankees vs. Rangers Betting Report

When: 8:05 PM ET (Monday)

MLB Betting Odds

Money Line: Yankees (Cole) -280 / Rangers (Lyles) +240

Total: Over 8 Runs -105 / Under 8 Runs -115

Run Line: Yankees -1.5 Runs (-164) / Rangers +1.5 Runs (+144)

One thing that could cure the Yankees’ ills against a pesky opponent like Tampa Bay was a great pitching performance. And Cole quieted the Rays’ bats but good on Wednesday. His 1-0 victory featured twelve strikeouts and brought his season numbers to an astounding 78 K’s against only three walks. He has been on a streak of 56 strikeouts without issuing a free pass.

To give you an idea of just how amazing that is, Cole tie Curt Schilling, who also did 56, and that is just two behind Milwaukee’s Corbin Barnes, who had a torrid streak of 58 just snapped. That is the highest figure since the major leagues went to a 60-foot, six-inch distance from the mound to home plate.

That was in 1893.

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Yes, this may be a golden age for strikeouts in Major League Baseball (we’ve touched on that before), but Cole is one of the guys ushering it in. Phil Hughes, a former Yankees, currently holds the one-season record for strikeout-walk ratio at 11.6 (qualifying with one inning for every game his team played).

Right now Cole has a 26-to-1 ratio.

In more conventional statistics, he has a 1.37 ERA and a 0.684 WHIP ratio. Speaking more unconventionally, his 1.13 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is best in the American League, and he has allowed an OPS of .457 (handicappers should consider that the MLB average is .730).

In other words, we don’t think it’s exactly a high-percentage play to bet against him, especially as you’d have to afford the Rangers better than a 29% chance of doing so.

Texas is pretty much average or slightly below average in most offensive categories, except for strikeouts, where they have the fourth most in the majors.

Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, who has been in the big leagues since 2011, has a career ERA over the 5.00 mark and finds himself at 6.63 this season, giving up 15 walks and nine homers in 38 innings. And beyond his first effort of the season, he really hasn’t had a quality start.

Sixteen of their 23 losses have been by more than one run. So you can see where we are going with this. Cole is one of those pitchers who can go seven or eight innings, making the bullpen less of the equation, although the Yankees have gotten very good relief pitching.

The problem in moving with the run line here is that aside from a ten-run outburst against lowly Detroit, the Yankees have given Cole all of 21 runs of support in his other seven starts. That doesn’t leave a lot of breathing room.

MLB Home Run Props Betting Guide

But when you haven’t given up more than two earned runs in any start, maybe you’re worth stretching with.

The Play: NY YANKEES -1.5 Runs (-164)

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