It feels a lot like 2015 to Neil Walker. He’s on a contender that has added J.A. Happ before the trade deadline.
And if Happ performs as he expected, like he did three years ago upon joining the Pirates, going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts to help Pittsburgh reach the NL wild-card game, the Yankees will be thrilled.
“I anticipate a very similar thing for him here,” Walker said Friday before the Yankees’ game against the Royals was postponed by rain. “The guy’s a bulldog. He knows how to pitch, he knows how to get outs. I think he’s very suited for this environment.
“He’s going to fit really well in this clubhouse. He’s going to fit really well in this town. … I don’t see him getting overwhelmed by any situation thrown his way.”
After being linked to the Blue Jays left-hander for months, general manager Brian Cashman pulled the trigger for Happ on Thursday, dealing infielder Brandon Drury and Triple-A outfielder Billy McKinney.
Happ’s flight was canceled due to inclement weather. He is now expected to arrive in New York on Saturday and remains scheduled to start Sunday against the Royals. His second start, though, is one of the main reasons the Yankees traded for Happ, to face the rival Red Sox, the team that leads them by five games in the AL East.
Boston is susceptible to left-handed pitching, producing significantly worse numbers against them across the board, and the 35-year-old Happ is 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA in his career against Boston. In two starts this season, he has allowed just one earned run against the Red Sox over 10 ²/₃ innings, though he lasted just 3 ²/₃ innings and gave up five unearned runs against them on July 12.
“He’s been a guy that I’ve always kind of been a fan of. In a way, I feel like he’s always been kind of underrated,” manager Aaron Boone said. “This is a guy that’s been really productive, obviously a guy that’s pitched a lot in our division and has that experience pitching in this division, and pitching at a high level here in this division.
“I think he’s going to be, hopefully, an impact performer for us the rest of the way.”
An All-Star this year for the first time in his 11-year career, Happ started the season 10-3 with a 3.62 ERA in his first 16 starts. But he has struggled over hit past four outings, going 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA. Walker thinks the change of scenery — pitching for a team with championship aspirations — will help.
“When speculation stirs for as long as it stirred for him, for a couple of months, it can be kind of mentally exhausting,” Walker said. “To know where you’re going — where you’re going to take your family for the last couple of months of the season — it’s more of a weight off your shoulders and you’re able to simplify things and figure things out.
“Morale is obviously really high in a clubhouse like this. Guys are here to win. Sometimes places that are out of it, it can get a little stale. I think he’s going to be really happy to jump in here.”
