The New York Yankees won another hotly contested, low-scoring affair on Thursday, defeating the Texas Rangers 2-0. Domingo German, who had a nightmarish start of the season, spun seven scoreless innings to secure the victory for the surging Bombers.
For the season, German has been electric, lowering his ERA all the way to 3.05 in 44.1 innings. His command isn’t perfect, but his control has been outstanding, as he has given up only 1.62 walks per nine frames, the lowest mark of his career.
His expected ERA, FIP, and expected FIP are all a bit higher than his actual ERA, but still good, at 3.68, 3.83 and 3.86, respectively. But most importantly, he looks poised and confident on the mound, and has left his bad start behind.
Another excellent start for the Yankees’ righty
Yesterday against the Rangers, the Yankees’ right-hander allowed six hits, five strikeouts and no walks, earning him his fourth win of the season. He has been especially nasty since April 22, with a 4-0 record and a 1.93 ERA in his past six starts.
“It’s tough following up a no-hitter after Corey Kluber and what he did, but Domingo was right there,†Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge said to MLB.com. “Seven [shutout innings] then throwing it over to our bullpen was pretty impressive. All his pitches were working today, that changeup was nasty. … It was all around a great showing by him.â€
If we go to the numbers and to the eye test, both indicate that among a Yankees’ rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jordan Montgomery, and Jameson Taillon, German has been the third best option behind Cole and Klubot, which is not too shabby given Monty and Taillon’s respective track records.
The Yankees hope that German, who has increased his curveball and changeup usage (those are his best pitches, anyway) can keep up the good form and be an anchor in the rotation.