Yanks put their faith in Tanaka
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With the Yankees rotation anything but deep, Masahiro Tanaka isn’t just the ace. He’s the only reliable piece going into the regular season.
Despite that, manager Joe Girardi is careful not to make too much of the right-hander’s importance to the staff.
“He’s been really consistent the three years we had him and that’s all we’re asking him to be,” Girardi said during the team’s workout at Tropicana Field in advance of Sunday’s season opener against the Rays. “Not any more [than that]. If we give him good run support, he’s gonna win a lot of games.”
Tanaka will have to in order for the Yankees to stay in contention with their new-look roster.
CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda are the only other veteran starters, and they both have health concerns — as does Tanaka. The Yankees will start the season with the untested Luis Severino and either Jordan Montgomery or Chad Green likely rounding out the rotation.
This spring, Tanaka has shown just how dominant he can be as he enters his fourth season with the Yankees and will be making his third straight Opening Day start.
“I’m ready,” Tanaka said after giving up just two runs, one earned, in 232/3 innings in the Grapefruit League.
He’s anxious to see how the Yankees come together behind him.
“I think we have some good talent and the potential is there,” Tanaka said through a translator. “Maybe there will be some growing pains going through the season, including myself, but we’re an energetic, good, young team.” We’ll see. Girardi said he just wants Tanaka to keep doing what he has been doing.
“He had a really good spring,” Girardi said. “You hope he picks up where he left off.”
Tanaka made his final appearance of 2016 at The Trop and had mixed results.
He earned the win and surrendered four runs in six innings but managed to give up four homers in the bottom of the third.
“I think I’m over it,” Tanaka said of the Rays’ taking him deep. “But I did study it. You’ve got to look back and study what you did wrong. I understand the adjustments that need to be made, so feel I’m confident going into the game.”