Joe Girardi said he is waiting to talk to Masahiro Tanaka before committing to pitching his ace Wednesday against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
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Girardi said the Yanks are hopeful Tanaka will miss just one start.
Tanaka has a 3.38 ERA, with 136 strikeouts and 26 walks, in 149 innings. And by Wednesday, that deficit could swell to the point where the Yankees’ focus shifts from attempting to be divisional champs to setting up Tanaka to start the October 6 AL wild card game. Tanaka said he felt the discomfort pushing out of the batter’s box, though he continued to pitch through the tightness through the sixth inning of a 5-1 Mets win.
With Nathan Eovaldi already on the disabled list, the Yankees can ill afford to lose Tanaka to injury too. “And then you’re in a whole lot of trouble”.
It is a considerable blow to the Yankees, who hope Tanaka will miss only one turn. “The season’s not over and…I’ll probably be able to pitch again after this week”. “I am not talking about the standings, I am talking more about how he feels”. He did have a stellar outing against the Jays in August – his first appearance against them – but Toronto has him thoroughly scouted after facing him three times in the last two months.
Tanaka has been the team’s best starter lately.
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In the second game of a doubleheader, Nova yielded six runs and didn’t make it out of the second inning.
