Tanaka Placed On DL; Yankee Woes Continue
New York Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka was placed on the 15-day DL Wednesday.
The New York Yankees were forced to place All-Star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.
The rookie standout underwent an MRI in New York on Wednesday, with the prognosis being inflammation of the elbow. The team is waiting on team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad – currently at a conference in Seattle – to confirm the extent of the injury.
The 25-year-old sensation becomes the fourth member of the Yankee rotation to hit the DL, leaving the side decimated on the hill.
In his first year in the majors, Tanaka has done more than impress. In 18 games, the right-hander has compiled a 12-4 record with an ERA of 2.51. Control has been the name of the game, with Tanaka walking just 19 batters, throwing four wild pitches, and hitting just three batters.
His strikeout to walk ratio is a staggering 7.11.
But Tanaka’s impact has stretched beyond just what he’s done on the hill. Tanaka has been the one bright spot on a Yankees side that has had adversity thrown in its face all season.
“It’s not how you draw it up, but injuries are a part of the game,” manager Joe Girardi told the YES Network.
“Any time you lose a starting pitcher, they’re hard to replace – especially with what he’s done for us – but we’re going to have to survive and keep going. Hopefully it’s not long.”
The Yankees are becoming all too familiar with trying to replace starting pitchers.
Ivan Nova (2-2, 8.27 ERA) made four appearances this season before a torn UCL forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season before it ever really got started.
Michael Pineda (2-2, 1.83 ERA) pitched in four games, two of them controversial, before being sent to the DL with a Grade 1 back strain. The initial prognosis was that the right-hander would make a quick recovery. That train of thought was soon extinguished. Pineda is currently on the 60-day DL.
C.C. Sabathia (3-4, .429) struggled through eight starts before being forced to the DL with inflammation of the knee. He began a rehab assignment only for the condition to worsen. Right now he’s also on the 60-day DL, but this story has taken a nasty twist.
Reports emerged last week that not only does it look like the big leftie is done for the year, but his career may be in jeopardy also.
CC Sabathia could be done for the year, or worse.
That leaves Hiroki Kuroda (6-6, 4.20 ERA) as the lone survivor from Girardi’s projected starting rotation at the beginning of the season.
Right now, the Yankees are going with David Phelps (3-4, 4.01 ERA), who narrowly missed out on a starting job in the spring; Brandon McCarthy (3-10, 4.80 ERA), a recent acquisition from the Arizona Diamondbacks; Chase Whitley (4-2, 4.94 ERA), a rookie that has shown some early promise; and Shane Green (1-0, 2.84 ERA), a less impressive rookie who has appeared in just two games.
The impending All-Star break will at least give Girardi a chance to assess his options, but expect Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to hit the phones hard soon.
With Tanaka on the DL, the Yankees will probably rue not being able to prize Jeff Samardzija from the Chicago Cubs before he headed out west to the Bay Area. They may also start paying serious attention to David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, who seems to live in a never ending vortex of trade claims.
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In the wake of the injury news, odds of the Yankees winning the 2014 World Series have slipped slightly from 18/1 to 20/1 over at Bovada.
Always a popular choice with bettors, the bookmakers might be wary of stretching odds further, but make no mistake about it, if Tanaka is off the diamond for a prolonged period, those odds will become longer.
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If a decimated pitching rotation wasn’t enough, the Yankees also lost outfielder Brett Gardner and designated hitter Carlos Beltran before Wednesday’s game.
Gardner suffered a mild abdominal strain on Tuesday while Beltran suffered an eye contusion during batting practice on Wednesday. Both are currently listed as day-to-day.
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The Yankees close out a four-game set with the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night (7:05 p.m. ET).
New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians odds for 07/10/2014
The club will then travel to face the Baltimore Orioles in the final series before All-Star weekend.
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