New York Yankees: Why the Starting Rotation is Struggling

New York Yankees, J.A. Happ
May 9, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher J.A. Happ (34) throws the ball against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees currently rank 15th overall in MLB pitching statistics (ESPN.com). The rotation is ranked 19th overall, where they are credited to a 4.77 ERA. None of these numbers is something to write home about, which is why general manager Brian Cashman is trying so desperately to add before the July 31st trade deadline.

It is clear that the main problem is the starters are not going the distance. Even though the Yankee bullpen is so dominant, it is evident that because of their overuse their performance is suffering. Besides German’s most recent start, each starting pitcher has not gone farther than four innings in their last outing. Each starter has also allowed more than 5 runs in their last outing, again except for German’s exceptional last start.

Tanaka and Paxton really struggling

Masahiro Tanaka has had a funky year. His 2019 stat line of a 4.79 ERA and a 7-6 record is not his usual self. Part of the reason for his struggles might be that Tanaka’s main pitch, the splitter, has clearly not been the same. According to FanGraphs, Tanaka has used his splitter 5% less than he did last year, dropping from 29.9% to 24.1%. He has mentioned that maybe part of the reason his splitter has not been as effective is to his suspicions of the MLB baseball feeling different this season. Nevertheless, Tanaka was supposed to fill Severino’s role during his absence and has failed to do so.

James Paxton has had a rough July so far. He is currently on a three-game losing streak, in which he let up seven runs to the Boston Red Sox in his last start. Paxton has also not been able to go the distance, where he hasn’t passed 4 innings in his last two starts. Another part of the reason why he has struggled so much this month is that the big fly total has been up. He’s let up eight home runs this month in over 25.1 innings pitched.