EASY AS 1- 2 - CC
SANCHEZ, CARTER BLASTS BACK UP VINTAGE SABATHIA
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pitching against the worst hitting team in the American League certainly helped. So did a five-run advantage after four innings. Four line drives finding Yankees leather was also a plus.
Yet CC Sabathia had pitched so poorly in the previous four starts the Yankees had to view his solid outing in a 7-1 victory Tuesday night in front of 30,787 over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium as a confidence booster.
Facing a Royals team that was hitting .226 (20 points below the league average) Sabathia didn’t give up a run in 6 2/3 innings and improved his record to 3-2. It was especially timely because Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka were spanked in their last outings when they combined for just four innings of work.
“It feels good. This team is playing well and you want to be a part of it and not the reason we are losing a game once a week,’’ Sabathia said.
The Royals didn’t bat with a runner in scoring position until the seventh when Eric Hosmer led off with a ground-ball double to short right. When Jorge Soler walked with two outs and Alex Gordon reached on an infield single, manager Joe Girardi called for Tyler Clippard. He left the bases loaded by striking out Whit Merrifield on a check swing.
“I understand, but I never want to come out of a game during an inning,’’ said Sabathia, who threw 85 pitches. “I wanted to finish off my inning, but it worked out. Clip came in and did a great job.’’
Having lost four of their previous five games the AL Eastleading Yankees upped their record to 23-13.
An early 5-0 lead helped against a lineup known to be aggressive. So, too, did the reemergence of Sabathia’s cut fastball that had been missing.
“It was a lot better, even getting them to move their feet,’’ said Sabathia, who was 0-2 with a 9.74 ERA in his four prior outings and had given up 30 hits in 20 2/3 innings. “It helped with my back-door slider and changeup.’’
Sabathia went 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in the first three starts and Tuesday won for the first time since April 15. He is 13-5 at Kauffman Stadium and 20-11 overall against the Royals.
“I love pitching here, it’s my favorite park. I love the fountains and feel pretty comfortable here,’’ Sabathia said.
That five-run lead after four frames was the work of Chris Carter and Gary Sanchez. Carter, who went 3-for-4, hit a two-run homer in the fourth and Sanchez had homered with two runners on base in the third. The blasts to center field were off loser Jason Hammel who is 1-5. In six innings Hammel gave up five runs, nine hits and didn’t register a strikeout.
“You have to keep trusting the process,’’ said Carter, who started the game hitting .200 (13-for-65) and had struck out 28 times. “You try to have good at-bats and make good contact.’’
Sanchez admitted Sabathia’s cutter was improved, but it also served another purpose.
“It was definitely better tonight in addition to the other pitches as well,’’ Sanchez said. “When you have other pitches it makes the cutter more effective.’’
And there was a little bit of luck involved since the four hardest hit balls found gloves. The first one by Alcides Escobar knocked down third baseman Chase Headley.
“There are not good optics, it’s a low wall, guys are moving around and there was a lot of white [shirts]. I am glad I caught it,’’ said Headley, who went to the ground upon catching the ball. “It’s not very often I fall down catching a line drive. I am glad it hit my glove.’’