BOSTON — Masahiro Tanaka may not be the ace the Yankees thought they’d be getting when they invested $175 million in him, but he’s the ace they have.
While he was brought to The Bronx to win big games in September and October, the Yankees already are leaning heavily on him in April as the rest of the rotation tries to find its way and the lineup continues to hit with wet newspapers.
Tanaka will take the mound Friday at Fenway Park with the Yankees having lost 10 of 14 with just one of their victories going to a starter since Tanaka picked up the win April 17.
“My attitude doesn’t change,” Tanaka said through a translator Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, before departing for Boston.
He was saved from having to witness a wasted performance by CC Sabathia and another listless showing by the lineup.
What the Yankees no doubt would like to see in the series opener against the Red Sox is a duplication of Tanaka’s previous outing, against the Rays, when he surrendered just two runs in seven innings and handed the ball off to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller before Brett Gardner won the game with a home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
It’s a formula Joe Girardi wasn’t sure how often he’d see after Tanaka had a bone spur removed from his elbow last October.
“It wasn’t career-threatening, but it was still an injury, and you never know how a guy is gonna come back from that,” Girardi said.
If Tanaka’s first four starts are any indication, he’s going to use his splitter and two-seam fastball significantly more than his four-seam fastball, which is a change even from last season.
Tanaka, though, insists he’s not giving up on his four-seamer, even though according to Brooks Baseball, he’s thrown the four-seamer just 6 percent of the time this season, compared with 18 percent a year ago. In its place, Tanaka has increased his usage of his two-seamer and splitter.
He doesn’t believe it has been that much of a change in strategy.
Masahiro TanakaPaul J. Bereswill“Obviously, my four-seam fastball will be used,” Tanaka said. “For me, I don’t look at it so differently. There’s not that much velocity difference from the four-seam and the two-seam. But I’m moving the ball with the two-seamer and getting better results, so that’s why I’m leaning toward that way.”
He could face a challenge Friday at Fenway, where he has not had much success, albeit in only three starts. He’s given up 11 earned runs in 15 ¹/₃ innings for a 6.46 ERA, by far his highest in a park in which he’s pitched more than once.
“It’s too small a sample size,” Tanaka said of his concern level pitching in Boston.
Among his problems against the Red Sox is David Ortiz, whom he won’t have to worry about next season. Of all hitters with at least 13 plate appearances, only Toronto’s Edwin Encarnacion has a higher OPS against Tanaka than Ortiz’s .989.
“The challenge is fun against him,” Tanaka said. “I feel like his approach changes with every at-bat, depending on what’s happening in the game.”
Regardless of whom he’s facing, Tanaka would like certain trends to continue.
Tanaka has given up fewer hits and home runs so far this season, although his walks are slightly up.
“I know what my job is on this staff,” Tanaka said. “And that never changes.”
