THIS ONE HURTS
TORONTO — CC Sabathia didn’t require words to tell how much the pain in his right knee cut into his psyche.
“Right now I want to pitch, get healthy and pitch,’’ a dejected Sabathia said after discomfort in the knee limited him to three innings in Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays in front of 41,596 at Rogers Centre
The Yankees sent the veteran lefty home to have the balky hinge examined, and nobody can accurately predict when, or if, Sabathia will be able to pitch again this year.
Trailing 2-1 in the third, Sabathia felt pain in the knee but couldn’t recall one pitch when he felt it first.
“It wasn’t one pitch,’’ said Sabathia, who gave up two-run homers to Josh Donaldson in the first and third innings. “It’s frustrating because it’s been healthy all year. To go out there and not have it where I want it to be is just frustrating.’’
In three innings, Sabathia gave up four runs, six hits and struck out three.
Sabathia said he hasn’t felt pain like he did Tuesday night since he started wearing a brace during the 2015 season, which is a sign this could be a major problem.
Manager Joe Girardi and Sabathia didn’t address the possibility that the 37-year-old pitcher could land on the disabled list, but considering the area of concern it’s likely. If that happens the Yankees could bring rookie lefty Jordan Montgomery back from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after sending him down Sunday. Bryan Mitchell, who replaced Sabathia and delivered four scoreless innings, also could be an option.
Coupled with the AL East-leading Red Sox’s seventh straight win, the loss dropped the second-place Yankees four lengths back. It’s the Yankees’ largest deficit since they were 4 ½ out on July 19.
When Donaldson touched the plate on his second homer, a laser to left on a 3-0 pitch for a 4-1 advantage, it looked like too much of a hole to dig out of for the Yankees — and it was.
Todd Frazier killed a big scoring chance in the second by banging into a double play with runners on first and second and no outs. Garrett Cooper’s two-out RBI single off J.A. Happ did get a run in. The Yankees loaded the bases in the sixth and watched Cooper pop out to right. In the eighth Ryan Tepera loaded the bases by hitting Gary Sanchez (left wrist) and Chase Headley (left foot) and walking Frazier. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Cooper and retired Ronald Torreyes on a routine fly to center.
Sabathia said the injury affected his mechanics, which is another reason it is difficult to see him avoiding the 10-day DL.
“It’s hard to land. It’s hard for me to finish my pitches,’’ said Sabathia, who is 9-5 in a walk year that looked very promising from May 16-June 7 when he won five straight games. “It’s hard for me to get over my front side. When I can’t do that I don’t know where the ball is going to go.’’
Where Sabathia is going is home to have his knee examined. How long he is gone isn’t a question that was able to be answered Tuesday night, but Sanchez knows what it will mean if Sabathia can’t pitch.
“He is very important to the team,’’ Sanchez said. “He is a veteran who knows how to pitch.’’
Yet one who doesn’t know when he will pitch again.