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Even though this Yankees season has become a race against the clock, with Aaron Judge's curative right wrist and Aroldis Chapman's left knee in a supporting role, count it as a race against the tank.
At the center of this story: how much is left in CC Sabathia's tank?
The Yankees' oldest player appeared almost empty on Saturday afternoon, scoring only 2 ¹ / against against the Blue Jays controlled in an 8-7 loss to the cigar, which released the birds to the Yankee Stadium. and, following the grand slam of Miguel Andujar who made it a part, dropped the Loyalists, extended their funk to 8-10 in their last 18 games and assured that they would not win field on the A in the race to host the Wild card game of October 3.
The latest drama did not spare Sabathia from defeat, nor did he eliminate the biggest questions about it after he allowed five runs on seven hits, including three homers, while eliminating two. points and by not striking any. If the Yankees can defeat the opening game of the category A playoffs – a contest for which the 38-year-old candidate is not a realistic candidate – can they rely on something from their big left-handed in October?
Aaron Boone answered this question with a "sure" – what would be the point of saying anything to the contrary? – yet, his most telling response to this match came when he was asked about his level of concern about the team's de facto co-captain (with Brett Gardner, also in trouble).
"A bit with the inconsistency, just find his cutter," Boone said of Sabathia. "Because obviously this cutter is so important to him. I have the impression that the slider of the last two times has been better. I have the impression that he has launched a good cutter but that he is still struggling to find that true consistency where he talks about driving it. When he is good with that, he can raise it and he can really have that sharpness on the hands of the right-handed ones. "
"Yeah, the cutter just was not there as it was early in the season," agreed Sabathia. "Just one of those things, keep working on it and hopefully get it back.
Sabathia pitched 20 shots on 50 courts against the Jays, according to the Brooks Baseball Pitch f / x tool, and their average was 87mph, a notable drop from the 89.1m average of the first 26 starts (thanks, FanGraphs) Toronto side defender Randal Grichuk hit his second run of the day, a solo shot in the third inning, with a cutter remaining in place.
"I did not have the impression of throwing the ball to the catcher. I just felt that I was a little in the know, "Sabathia said.
He has an ERA of 9.28 in 10 / fng launched on September 3rd, and the problem with the small samples of September is that you have fewer opportunities to prove their smallness and redeem yourself. The schedule provides that Sabathia, a free agent after the season, will start twice more in the regular season, the first assignment coming next weekend against the bad Orioles at the stadium, the perfect opportunity to repair the cutter and its status.
The Yankees will need a fourth pitcher in the playoffs after J.A. Happ, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka. Could they choose the cunning Sabathia? Or Lance Lynn, which is more and more difficult to launch?
After Boone said "of course" that he would feel comfortable giving the ball to Sabathia in the playoffs, the manager added: "But I think we've seen enough of it with his stuff, he just need to find it more consistently, obviously. … I hope we'll see this improvement, but you know it's obvious the timing of the playoffs will not affect it at all, and you hope you can get the best out of it.
Can Sabathia find more in the tank? The answer could determine not only his fate in 2019, but also the fortune of the Yankees in October 2018.
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