New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was not his best on Tuesday night versus the Rays. Tanaka was tasked with the series opening start, but things didn’t go well at all.
He went just four innings, giving up eight hits and six runs. No free passes were allowed, and he struck out just two.
The first two innings of the ballgame were pretty pain free. He faced the minimum while throwing just 28 pitches. Once the third inning rolled around, things got ugly.
Tanaka got the first out of the inning, then gave up four consecutive hits. Two of the hits left the ballpark, giving the Rays a 4-0 lead. An unearned run was on Tanaka’s watch in the fourth inning due to a Gary Sanchez passed ball, but gave up a home run to leadoff the fifth, ending his night.
Tanaka lasted just 71 pitches. He was obviously struggling, but it was still his longest outing of the year. 66 pitches was his previous longest outing, just last start. A lot of it has to do with easing him back in after his head injury during Summer Camp.
Overall, Tanaka hasn’t been as productive as Yankee fans have hoped in 2020. He’s lacked innings and hasn’t had his best stuff. His strikeout numbers aren’t where they should be as his season-best is just five right now.
The Yankees need more length out of Tanaka. With the short season, there’s already more pressure on the bullpen and the last thing the team needs is to wear out the relievers too early with too many short starts.