Uncertainty surrounded the New York Yankees starting rotation heading into the 2017 season. Throughout Spring Training, the Yankees weren’t even sure who their fourth and fifth starters would be. The first three spots in the rotation were set with ace Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda.
Ultimately, Luis Severino emerged as the club’s fourth starter, despite a disastrous 2016 season which saw the young flame-thrower end the season coming out of the bullpen, after losing his spot in the rotation. Several pitchers were vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, including Chad Green, Adam Warren, Bryan Mitchell, and rookie left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Yankees manager Joe Girardi eventually tabbed Montgomery after an impressive spring, during which the youngster displayed an array of pitches that kept hitters off balanced due to his height (6’6″) and over-hand delivery.
New York Yankees Starting Rotation Leading the Way
The Yankees were confident that they had at least one starting pitcher they could rely on in Tanaka, coming off a season in which the former Japanese star received Cy Young considerations. Tanaka finished 2016 with a 14-4 record and a 3.07 ERA. However, for the Yankees to have any chance at competing for a division title or even a Wild Card berth in 2017, they were going to need big seasons out of Sabathia and Pineda. Both were coming off dreadful 2016 campaigns which saw Sabathia, a former ace in his heyday, go 9-12 with a 3.91 ERA, and Pineda, who’s been extremely inconsistent in Pinstripes, finish with a 6-12 record and a 4.82 ERA.
Sabathia and Pineda, along with Severino, who went 0-8 with a 8.50 ERA as a starter last season, combined for a total of 18 wins last season, while also giving up a combined 50 home runs. Yet, all three pitchers have gotten off to incredible starts, and already they’ve combined for 18 wins as New York enters the second week in June.
The play of Sabathia, Pineda, and Severino has helped the first place Yankees maintain their lead in the AL East as Tanaka’s struggles continue to baffle the coaching staff. So far, Tanaka is 5-6 with a 6.55 ERA and has lost five straight starts. On Friday, Girardi announced that he was pushing Tanaka’s start this Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles back a day to Monday against a less lethal Los Angeles Angels offense, who lost superstar Mike Trout to a torn ligament in his thumb last month. Girardi has yet to announce a starter for Sunday’s game against the Orioles, but the likely candidates include Green and Warren.
The Angels have the third-lowest team batting average (.239) in the American League. In three career starts against the Angels, Tanaka is 1-0 with a 1.71 ERA. On the other hand, the last time Tanaka faced the Orioles, he gave up seven runs in 5.2 innings of a 10-4 loss; he is 1-2 with a 3.72 ERA in seven career starts versus the Orioles. Some critics and pundits have speculated that Tanaka’s struggles could be health-related, given his history with injuries. In 2014, Tanaka suffered a partially-torn UCL in his elbow. Then, in 2015, he had bone spurs removed from his elbow, and in 2016 he suffered a strained flexor mass in his forearm. Both Tanaka and the Yankees have denied that health is the problem. His troubles on the mound have more to do with his command of his fastball and slider.
The Yankees former ace prior to Tanaka’s arrival, Sabathia, is once again pitching like a No. 1 starter, and has helped the Bronx Bombers to the second best record (35-23) in the American League, as well as the best home record (17-8) in the AL. Sabathia is 7-2 with a 3.66 ERA, and has won his last five starts, all of which have followed a Tanaka loss. During that span, the current ace is 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA, while Tanaka is 0-5 with a 10.72 ERA. The Yankees are 10-2 in Sabathia’s starts this season. In nine seasons with the Yankees, Sabathia has a record of 113-70. For his career, he’s 230-143 with a 3.70 ERA.
Pineda has also gotten off to a fantastic start to 2017; he and Sabathia are the two main reasons that the Yankees have been able to maintain their lead in the AL East. During Pineda’s first three seasons (2014-2016) with New York, he posted a record of 23-27. This season, however, the hard-throwing right-hander is 7-3 with a 3.39 ERA, and is 6-1 at Yankee Stadium with an ERA of 1.96 in seven games. Pineda finally looks as if he’s gotten his mechanics under control and is pitching like the top-of-the-rotation pitcher the Yankees envisioned when they traded for him.
Severino, 23, looks like a completely different pitcher from a year ago. One of the main reasons for his drastic improvement is his command of his blazing fastball. The young right-hander has also worked extremely hard at developing his changeup and his slider, which has been very effective thus far. His record this season is 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA, which reflects his development and vast improvement from just a year ago.
Montgomery, a rookie who wasn’t even on the Yankees radar as the potential fifth starter heading into Spring Training, opened a lot of eyes towards the end with his array of pitches and his command of the strike zone. Despite the ups and downs in his rookie season, the young left-hander is 4-4 with a 3.55 ERA, and is coming off a gem against the Orioles on Friday night, in which he pitched seven strong innings while striking out eight – both career-highs. It was Montgomery’s fourth straight impressive start.
With their win on Friday night over their divisional rivals, the AL East-leading Yankees improved to 12 games over .500 and increased their lead over the second place Boston Red Sox to three games, and increased their lead over the Orioles to 4.5 games. If Tanaka continues to struggle, the Yankees might want to consider moving to a six-man rotation. Last season, when Tanaka had five or more days of rest, he went 10-1 with a 2.56 ERA; when he pitched on only four days of rest, he went 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA.
As a pitching staff, the Yankees have the second best team ERA (3.62), the second best team WHIP (1.19), and the second best batting average against (.229).
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