5-0 Michael Pineda’s Dominating 16-K Act Shows Who the Yankees’ Real No. 1 Is
May 10, 2015 · Jacob Shafer · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
If there were any doubts about which pitcher anchors the New York Yankees‘ starting staff, Michael Pineda answered them Sunday.
The big right-hander defined dominant in a 6-2 win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, allowing one earned run in seven innings with no walks and an eye-popping 16 strikeouts.
That’s the second-most punch-outs in a single game in the Yankees’ storied history, per MLB.com‘s Danny Knobler. It brought Pineda’s strikeout total for the season to 54 in 46.1 innings. Pair that with a 2.72 ERA and 1.010 WHIP, and you’ve got an ace by any measure.
“His stuff today was electric,” catcher Brian McCann said after the game, per Knobler. “Almost every time he takes the ball, it is.”
New York is now 6-1 when Pineda is on the hill. With the win Sunday, the Yanks took three of four from Baltimore and moved to 20-12 on the season, three games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
The Yankees are doing what few thought possible: winning without Masahiro Tanaka, who hasn’t pitched since April 23 because of wrist and forearm issues.
Tanaka was far and away New York’s best pitcher last year before a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow sidelined him for nearly three months.
Coming into spring, all eyes were on the Japanese stud. As he went, so would go the Yankees, according to the prevailing narrative.
New York is a better team with Tanaka in the rotation—no debate there. But Pineda’s emergence has kept things rolling in the Bronx.
Let’s look a bit closer at how thoroughly he overpowered an Orioles lineup that entered the day third in the AL with a .270 batting average.
As Sports Illustrated‘s Jon Tayler noted, 11 of Pineda’s 16 strikeouts came on swings and misses. Overall, O’s hitters whiffed on 21 of his 111 pitches, with 12 of those fruitless hacks coming against his slider.
The 26-year-old has shown flashes in the past. He posted a 1.89 ERA and 0.825 WHIP in 13 starts last season, but he was limited by injuries and controversy.
Really, Pineda has been a disabled-list fixture since the Yankees acquired him in 2012. First, it was shoulder surgery, which knocked him out for two seasons.
Last April, just as his comeback was getting off the ground, Pineda was slapped with a 10-game suspension for illegal use of pine tar in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Then came a back injury and more time on the DL.
This year, positive signs began to emerge in the Grapefruit League, with Pineda teasing not just excellent stuff but a newfound maturity, as Kevin Kernan of the New York Post outlined:
There is so much to like about this version of Michael Pineda.
Start with the changeup, but don’t overlook all the other improvements. He has become a leader in the Yankee clubhouse. …
… Pass his locker early in the morning here and many of the young Latin players are there, asking for Pineda’s advice. He is more confident in his own abilities, too, in better shape than in past years and has a zest for the game that is uplifting to teammates.
Yes, spring training is full of these feel-good stories. Everyone has turned over a new leaf and gotten in the best shape of his life in March.
But now it’s May, and Pineda’s promise is translating into results, for him and his club.
There’s still time for Tanaka to return and reclaim his place atop the Yankees’ rotation. He made 50 throws from 90 feet Sunday and “felt fine,” per Jack Curry of the YES Network.
For now, though, New York has a clear No. 1, and his name is Michael Pineda.
All statistics current as of May 10 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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