Can we declare the Masahiro Tanaka crisis over now?
Can we declare the Yankees’ starting pitching crisis over now?
Let’s knock out the smaller perils first and that can lead organically to eradicating the bigger headache, don’t you think? On a lazy Labor Day afternoon at Yankee Stadium, in a game delayed nearly three hours due to rain, the Yankees suffered their first shutout loss of the season, 7-0 to the Rangers, ending a two-game winning streak and, by virtue of the Astros’ 3-2 victory over the Brewers, falling behind Houston in the race for the American League’s postseason home-field advantage.
Behind this negative news, however, stood Tanaka, who put in a yeoman-like effort in the loss: six innings, two runs, seven hits, two walks, five strikeouts; low-leverage relievers Nestor Cortes Jr. and Tyler Lyons, neither of whom is likely to see playoff action, accounted for the final score by allowing five runs over the final two frames. If Tanaka’s effort didn’t go down as a gem against an opponent that had scored slightly above the AL average entering Monday’s action — “I had to kind of grind throughout the day,” he acknowledged through an interpreter — it proved as more evidence that the right-hander has emerged from the funk that saw him tally a 10.59 ERA over six starts from the end of June through the end of July.
“I feel like I’m doing better,” Tanaka said. “Obviously, compared to the first couple of months, I’m out there, being able to do what I want to do. So all in [all], I think I feel pretty good about myself.”
Since that slippery sextet of games, Tanaka has started six more contests and recorded a 2.43 ERA, and if he didn’t possess his finest stuff on Monday, he scored points just for hanging in there. He recorded one strikeout each with his slider and splitter on Monday, the other three coming via the fastball, and he picked up another seven outs on the ground. Clint Frazier, of all people, aided him defensively by throwing out Elvis Andrus at home on a fifth-inning single by Danny Santana.Asked if Tanaka has alleviated his earlier concerns, Boone retorted, “I don’t even know how concerned I was, because I was confident he would right the ship there. And then especially as he found his split and was able to incorporate that with more confidence, I feel for the most part he’s thrown the ball really well for us.
“It’s good to see him, no question, building some momentum, and even today, on a day when he’s not necessarily at his best, still be able to go out and be able to pitch very effectively. It’s good to see him as we enter this final month continuing to pitch really well.”
The same can be said for the Yankees’ starting rotation, albeit in a smaller sample. Since the Yankees suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the A’s Aug. 20-22 in Oakland, their starters have allowed three runs or less in 10 straight starts against the A’s, Mariners and Dodgers, none of them offensive patsies, and they’ve recorded five quality starts in that span.
No one would be naive enough to declare the Yankees’ starting rotation to be an October strength; it remains the most obvious flaw in their profile. And virtually nothing occurring between now and mid-October will magically give the Yankees the starting pitching edge over the Astros. However, you can now imagine a rotation fronted by Tanaka, James Paxton and Domingo German, with perhaps Luis Severino back in time from the injured list, being good enough — when combined with the stellar offense and best-in-the-business bullpen — to get this franchise its first title in a decade.
One quelled crisis at a time, right? For now, it sure feels safe to call off the dogs on Tanaka, and redirect them elsewhere on this championship-or-bust operation.