Tonight won’t affect future Tanaka starts
Joe Girardi left no doubt on Sunday morning: Regardless of how Masahiro Tanaka pitches in Anaheim on Monday, he’ll make his next scheduled start in Oakland on Saturday.
“That’s our plan,” the manager said, brushing off a question about any possible further change to the rotation if Tanaka’s being pushed back a day doesn’t work.
But Girardi acknowledged Tanaka’s outing against the Angels — who are without Mike Trout — does have added importance considering how ineffective the right-hander has been lately. In his last two outings, Tanaka gave up 12 runs in 10 2/3 innings, but his struggles extend well beyond that.
In seven starts since Tanaka shut out the Red Sox on April 27, he’s 2-5 with an 8.50 ERA and his issues prompted the Yankees to bump his start — something Tanaka understood.
“I think there may be some motivation,” Tanaka said through an interpreter about added pressure from the Yankees using a sixth starter for the first time all season to give Tanaka an extra day off. “You don’t want a team to do that. You want to stay in the same rotation, the same spot. The goal is to get myself back to what I can do and just keep the rotation going as it is.”
Tanaka insisted again that he was fine physically and that his problems are mechanical — and not health related. And Tanaka knows he’s been the lone disappointment in the Yankees’ rotation.
“You feel like you’re a little bit left behind just because the team’s doing so well,’’ Tanaka said. “You want to go out there and give a strong performance and I feel confident I’ll do that [Monday].”
Asked if this game would be more important for Tanaka, Girardi said: “I guess that’s fair to say because we want to get him on track. It has been a struggle for him. He’s had some good starts, but recently it’s been a struggle for him.”
When the Yankees designated Tommy Layne for assignment after Saturday’s game to make room for Do
mingo German they were left without a lefty specialist and Girardi said he didn’t think it would be an issue.
“I think our right-handers are very capable,” Girardi said.
It will help if Aroldis Chapman is able to return from left shoulder rotator cuff inflammation by the end of the upcoming trip, which would put Dellin
Betances back into his eighth-inning role and take stress off the rest of the bullpen.
Layne was a pleasant surprise after the Yankees signed him off the Red Sox’ scrap heap last season, but was unable to duplicate that success this year.
“He really never got on track,” Girardi said.
Greg Bird played in his 10th rehab game on Sunday and went 0-for-2 with two walks for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Girardi remained unsure about when the first baseman might rejoin the Yankees.
“He needs at-bats,” Girardi said. “We want to get him to where we feel he’s ready to go.” Bird’s replacement,
Chris Carter, is 8-for-20 with two homers and six RBIs in his past six games. …
Jacoby Ellsbury (concussion) is still on schedule to work out with Double-A Trenton beginning on Tuesday and will increase activities provided he doesn’t suffer another setback. … Gary
Sanchez moved to first for a second straight day in a blowout and fielded the only ball hit to him — a grounder by Seth Smith. But Sanchez slipped on his way to first and tagged the base with his glove, fortunate to not get stepped on by Smith.