C.C. Sabathia continues to struggle giving up seven runs again, as the Yankees drop the series opener to the Rays
By Dave Holcomb
On a night Yankee fans wanted to remember as Alfonso Soriano’s return to the Bronx, Friday became more memorable for Pitcher C.C. Sabathia’s third straight poor performance. The Yankees ace is now the only pitcher this season to give up seven earned runs in three consecutive starts.
In a season that has mauled the Yankees with injury, mostly in the lineup, it’s been the pitching that’s helped the Yankees stay afloat. But the pitcher they need the most has now fallen to 9-8 and has an ERA of 4.65.
It’s hard to really explain what’s going on with Sabathia. He’s won at least 15 games since 2006, and in four of the past six seasons, he has won 19 or more. In all six of those seasons, he pitched at least 200 innings. From 2007-2011, Sabathia took the ball for at least 230 innings per season.
With seemingly nothing wrong with Sabathia, no injury of any kind, it’s up to sports writers to speculate what the problem is. My best guess, the innings have finally caught up to him. The human body can only take so much.
Now, don’t take this the wrong way. The Yankees (Indians and Brewers) still should have pitched him all those innings. Sabathia is a workhorse, someone I like to refer to as “A Man” out there on the mound.
There are lots of great pitchers in today’s game, but in this era of inning limits and pitch counts, there are only a few “Men” out on the rubber. Someone who takes the ball and says ‘This game is mine’. Sabathia is just one of three still left in my “A Man” category, which is quickly dwindling.
No matter how many runs he gives up, he’s out there giving the Yankees innings, which is so important and underrated. In the era of protecting arms, it’s often the bullpen’s elbows and shoulders that get taxed with extra innings because of pitch counts. But Sabathia is normally good for six or seven.
Unfortunately this season has not been normal, and if that is indeed true because of the innings he has accumulated, what’s the solution? There’s probably more than one, but there is one bad answer: to panic.
Sabathia is a great pitcher; he will get his 200th career win later this season at the age of 33. He is in a slump right now; everyone gets them, even the best players. And at 33, Sabathia’s career could be at a crossroads. His heat no longer blows hitters away, maybe his breaking pitch isn’t what it was, but that’s when as an athlete, you make adjustments.
Work out mechanics in the bullpen, perhaps skip one start to have extra rest (no innings limit) and get through a slump. Sabathia is too great a pitcher for his career to be approaching its end. He will make the adjustments.
The only question is will it be in time to save the Yankees season. Even though New York has no Jeter, no A-Rod, no Granderson or Teixeira, it will be Sabathia’s poor pitching that will be the death of the Yankees.
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