Masahiro Tanaka doesn’t pick and choose the teams he pitches against, and the competitive nature of the Yankees’ former ace would likely lead him to wanting the tougher lineups if given the choice.
However, Tanaka takes the ball when it’s given, and if the competition lately hasn’t been stiff, so be it, because these days the Yankees don’t get style points deducted because they beat MLB’s bottom-feeders.
Tuesday night against the lowly Orioles at Yankee Stadium, Tanaka led the Yankees to a 6-3 victory that was witnessed by a sold-out crowd of 46,473.
After requiring 31 pitches to get three outs and keep the Orioles from scoring in the first inning, Tanaka cruised through the following five and improved to 9-2. More importantly, Tanaka is 2-0 with a 1.76 in the past five starts, with 17 ¹/₃ consecutive scoreless innings, and showing signs of being a pitcher the Yankees can count on in the final two months of the season when they attempt to pass the AL East-leading Red Sox.
Coupled with the victory over a 32-75 club and the Red Sox losing to the Phillies, the Yankees moved to within five games of their blood rivals.
Miguel Andujar celebrates after hitting a three-run home in the fifth inning.Paul J. Bereswill“It was really good to get out of that inning and pick it up after that,’’ Tanaka said of the opening frame, when he hit Jace Peterson with a pitch and walked Adam Jones with one out.
Tanaka used his signature splitter to strike out Mark Trumbo and stranded two when second baseman Gleyber Torres fielded Chris Davis’ ground ball on the grass in short right field for the final out.
“That was huge. You start to get to that point in the inning and you are maybe another hitter from having to start getting somebody up,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of Tanaka escaping then settling down very well. In six innings, he didn’t allow a run, gave up three hits, walked two and struck out eight.
The following five frames weren’t perfect, but the O’s didn’t score. After Austin Wynns doubled to start the third, Tanaka struck out Tim Beckham, Peterson and Jones. Tanaka’s final two batters in the sixth were Trumbo and Davis, and they whiffed with runners on first and second.
So what happened after the first?
“It always comes down to mechanics. I feel I was a little off in the first inning,’’ Tanaka said.
Torres’ two-out single in the first scored Brett Gardner, and Yankees scored one run in the third on Didi Gregorius’ bloop single to left. Greg Bird upped the lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Miguel Andujar followed with a three-run homer to left off former Yankees’ minor leaguer Yefry Wynns that made it 6-0.
“The thing that has been really good about him is that he has made adjustments,’’ Boone said of Andujar — the rookie third baseman who is hitting .292 with 13 homers, 46 RBIs and a .821 OPS. “As pitchers have made adjustments, he has been able to do that along with him. Even though he hasn’t walked a ton, I think he has done a pretty good job of controlling the strike zone.’’
A.J. Cole’s perfect seventh gave no indication it would turn rocky for the Yankees. The O’s scored three in the eighth when catcher Kyle Higashioka was charged with a passed ball and Andujar a fielding error that allowed Peterson to score from second on the same play. Peterson had doubled two runs in before the poor defensive action.
Dellin Betances recorded the final two outs of the eighth on strikeouts and Aroldis Chapman notched his 29th save in 30 chances by striking out the final three Orioles.
The late scare aside, the night belonged to Tanaka.
“He has thrown the ball really well for us right now and it is really good for us to see,’’ Boone said.
