TAMPA — When five arms started competing for two spots in the starting rotation in late February, Adam Warren’s vast bullpen experience stood to hurt his chances of being a starter.
Saturday against the Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the versatile right-hander didn’t help his dwindling chances to avoid working out of the pen.
“Not very happy with it,’’ Warren said of giving up four runs, four hits and issuing two walks in three innings of a 6-5 Yankees win. “I got behind in the count, and when I was ahead in the count I couldn’t put guys away. My stuff was pretty good. I couldn’t throw enough strikes when I needed to.’’
Earlier in the week, general manager Brian Cashman said Warren was making the club in some role. Because the Yankees don’t need a fifth starter until April 16, they only have to decide on a fourth starter behind Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda.
[mlbvideo id=”1247652683″ width=”600″ height=”340″ /]
Luis Cessa is the only original member of the five to have been sent out already. Luis Severino likely will start in the big leagues or at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Ditto lefty Jordan Montgomery. Bryan Mitchell and Chad Green are in the mix.
Asked if he would be disappointed landing in the bullpen, Warren said that would be the wrong description.
“I hate to say disappointment, because I am still on the big league roster and with the Yankees,’’ said Warren, who has appeared in 205 big league games, 184 in relief. “I really wanted to be a starter, and that’s what I am working for. I have a little bit of feelings toward that, but I am happy pitching out of the bullpen and I like pitching out of the bullpen. I hate to say disappointed, but there would be a little bit of, ‘I wish I had done better.’ ”
Four of Warren’s five spring games have been as a starter. He is 0-0 with a 4.80 ERA in 15 innings.
Greg Bird slugged his seventh homer of the spring in the second inning and has manager Joe Girardi thinking the Yankees may have found a key cog to the lineup.
“I think he could be really, really productive,’’ Girardi said of the left-handed hitting first baseman, who missed all of last year due to right shoulder surgery. “I am going by what our minor league people have said about him and what we saw in the two months in 2015. The way he is hitting the ball now, I think he can be a middle-of-the-order hitter for us.’’
The back end of the Yankees’ bullpen worked in succession Saturday for Double-A Trenton against the Pirates at the minor league complex.
Closer Aroldis Chapman went two-thirds of an inning, and Dellin Betances and Tyler Clippard each threw an inning.
It was the first time Betances went back-to-back, and he is awaiting the start of the season a week from Sunday.
“We have the season coming up so we usually do that,’’ Betances said of pitching two straight days. “I feel good and I am just ready for the season to start.’’
The Yankees named outfielder Aaron Judge and pitcher Chance Adams as winners of the 2016 Kevin Lawn minor league “Player of the Year’’ and “Pitcher of the Year.’’
The Yankees’ season could have ended at the minor league complex Saturday had a pitch near Gary Sanchez’s head hit him.
“It was close. I had a quick reaction but it was close,’’ said Sanchez, who was at the complex to catch Michael Pineda against the Pirates in a Triple-A game.
The Yankees let teams know weeks ago they would be willing to listen to offers for utilityman Rob Refsnyder and haven’t received much. Refsnyder’s calling card is the bat, and he went 0-for-2 Saturday and is hitting .175 (7-for-40).
Pete Kozma definitely is in the hunt to be a piece of the puzzle used to replace shortstop Didi Gregorius. Kozma, a non-roster invite, is known primarily as a defensive player, but it was Kozma’s single in the ninth inning that lifted the Yankees to Saturday’s win over the Blue Jays.
Bryan Mitchell, still very much alive for the fourth starter’s spot, faces the Rays at GMS Field on Sunday.