Don’t need Gio, DO need Happ
Yanks looking for J.A. to turn things around
ANAHEIM — In the end, the Yankees did not need Gio Gonzalez. As expected, they released him from his contract Monday. The veteran lefty is now a free agent. Gonzalez had been signed to a minorleague deal last month as an insurance policy for the Yankee rotation. With Luis Severino on the injured list, originally with rotator cuff inflammation and now with a Grade 2 lat strain, the Yankees were gambling on 38-year-old CC Sabathia emerging from an extended spring training as a strong middle-of-the-rotation starter, and young prospect Domingo German developing into a consistent one.
Both proved to be solid options, proving that Gonzalez, whose contract called for a $300,000 bonus per start, was unnecessary. Sabathia has yet to allow an earned run over two starts and German has struck out 19 in 17 innings.
Gonzalez, who is now a crafty lefty at this point in his career, had mixed results in three starts with the Yankees’ Triple-A club. After a very short spring training, however, he showed he could still help a club, especially used with an opener.
But through 21 games, in fact, the Yankees rotation is the last of the worries on a team that has been decimated by injuries. Even without Severino, who is likely out until at least the All-Star break, the rotation heads into this 10-game, West Coast road trip with the sixth-best ERA (3.41) and 11th-best batting average against (.232) in the big leagues.
That has been dragged down considerably by Monday night’s scheduled starter.
Veteran lefty J.A. Happ, who the Yankees re-signed this offseason to a two-year $34 million deal with an option for a third, has struggled to start this season. With injuries plaguing their lineup and the bullpen clearly affected by the loss of set-up man Dellin
Betances, the Yankees are riding out this tough stretch on the backs of their rotation.
They need Happ to turn it around and help out.
He has allowed 15 earned runs in just 18.2 innings over four starts. The 36-year-old, who is coming off a 2018 in which he allowed a career-high 27 home runs, has been burned by the long ball this year, as well. Happ has allowed six homers in his four starts, tied for the fourth most allowed by any pitcher in the big leagues. His 2.9 home runs per nine innings is by far the highest in his career.
There may be some hope for a turnaround found if you dig into the details of his last start, however, just looking at the home runs Happ has given up, now in seven straight games including the 2018 regular season and playoffs.
Interestingly all six home runs Happ allowed this season came on his four-seam fastball, a pitch he has built his career on. Throughout his career, Happ has relied heavily on the four-seam, because though he did not throw it with any great velocity, he had great command of it and the high spin rate gave it good late life.
But in his last start, a win over the Red Sox, Happ noticeably went away from the four-seam and relied more on his slider and sinker.
“A little more crisp, more effective, and little better located,” Happ said after his last start when asked why he switched to his two-seam fastball.
One of the issues with his four-seamer is that even though it was never a high-velocity pitch for him, he has lost a tick off it so far this season. That difference, between 92.97 miles per hour in April 2018 and 91.82 this month, can make a huge difference in deception for a hitter.
Happ wasn’t sure if that was an earlyseason kind of thing or if he may be looking at a late-career adjustment. “I don’t know. I have had plenty of games over the years where I have relied a lot on the two-seamer,” he said, referring to the recent switch. “You get in trouble when you give them too much credit, at the same time, you gotta try to go with what is working. Sometimes the hitters dictate what’s working, I just tried to make adjustments.”