Domingo may be the starter Bombers need

ROOK DOMINATES M’S AS YANKS OPEN BIG SERIES WITH WIN

THE Yankees need a starting pitcher. It has been said so often — feels like it is on endless loop at the Stadium, like the roll call or Y-M-C-A — that it just has to be true. Right? Except the Yankees get a pretty good start on a near-daily basis, often better than that. Part of the brigade is Domingo German, who was perhaps seventh or eighth on the depth chart when spring training began, but now just keeps performing better and better. Maybe this is all about by comparison. By comparison to their power bullpen or power bats, the Yankees rotation pales. But then again, so does every other team in those areas. Those bats produced four more homers Tuesday night as the Yankees squashed the Mariners 7-2. By comparison to the Astros’ rotation, the Yankees starters also are of a lower caliber. And the feeling remains that at some point come October, the Yanks will have to go through the champions to get to the World Series. Mainly, though, the Yankees rotation problem is threefold: 1. Perception. They wanted to add a starter all offseason, didn’t land one and, thus, there is a sense of unfinished business. 2. Reality. There is a fragility to the rotation. Jordan Montgomery already has been lost for the season after needing Tommy John surgery, Masahiro Tanaka is on the DL yet again (this time with hamstring problems) and CC Sabathia and Sonny Gray are physical red flags. 3. The rotation is segregated between ace Luis Severino and everyone else and the team’s championship chances would swell if they could find a co-ace to Severino. But with six weeks until the non-waiver trade deadline there is no sign Jacob deGrom or Madison Bumgarner will be available. The Yankees might just have to snag someone such as Toronto’s J.A. Happ or Minnesota’s Lance Lynn to provide quality depth against more injuries. For now, though. German keeps working his way up the ranks of a rotation outperforming its reputation.

In the 52 games since the team’s shaky 9-9 outset to the season, the rotation has a 3.38 ERA (sixth best in the majors). Over the past 21 games it is 2.77, second best. That latter result was produced without Montgomery and mostly without Tanaka, but with German sure looking more and more like a trustworthy starter.

Will it last? Is this an Aaron Small sample size? Will the league see German, adjust and knock him into long relief ? It is a possibility. But so is that German actually is a starter. He has the equipment.

He has three above-average pitches with fastball, changeup and a curve that produced 10 of the 17 swings and misses by the Mariners. German has fixated on fastball command, which has sharpened his whole repertoire. In his last four starts, the 25year-old righty has walked four and struck out 31 in 25 2/3 innings, including no walks and nine whiffs in a career-high seven innings against the Mariners.

And there is pluckiness to German. He has had some self-inflicted first-inning problems, especially with the long ball. But has shown an ability not to wilt. On Monday, he was betrayed in the first inning by his defense when Dee Gordon led off with a speed-created double, Didi Gregorius booted a ball on which he might have been able to throw Gordon out at third, Miguel Andujar dropped a liner that allowed Gordon to score an unearned run and Gary Sanchez bobbled a strike three that assured Mitch Haniger would steal second.

But between Gordon’s leadoff double to Nelson Cruz’s homer with one out in the seventh, German did not per- mit another hit. Over his last four starts, opponents are hitting .200 and German has a 3.86 ERA. His peripheral numbers such as strikeouts, walks and hits allowed presaged that German should be getting better results when he struggled following six no-hit innings against the Indians in his first start May 6. Now, he is getting the results.

“He’s really talented,” Aaron Boone said.

The Yankees manager offered similar sentiments about Jonathan Loaisiga, who gets his second start Wednesday after five shutout innings in his debut. Like German, the 23-year-old righty offers stuff and has at least hinted at poise. Also, like German, he was not part of the plan. But here is opportunity and when you throw talent at opportunity, well, sometimes plans change.

Around the Yankees you get more questions about who they are getting for the starting rotation than even homers.

It is possible — at least possible, where it would not have been even a month ago — that the answer is German and

Loaisiga?