CC Sabathia was laboring for the Yankees. Again. What started so promisingly with 10 straight Orioles going down transformed into an exercise in survival.
But this was Sabathia, right? He was up, 7-5, with two out in the sixth. He felt he had enough to at least finish the inning. Then he saw manager Joe Girardi coming to get him. He admitted some surprise.
“Yeah, but I guess I can’t be surprised by anything that happens this year,” Sabathia said.
So the surprise was laced with a heavy dose of understanding.
“The way I’ve been pitching, I don’t deserve a longer leash right now,” said Sabathia (12-11), who emerged with the win in the Yankees’ 8-5 victory. “I have to prove myself. That’s something I’ve done over the past and that’s something I’ll do to gain his trust again.”
Girardi sensed Sabathia’s surprise at the hook, but it didn’t alter the manager’s plan.
“He’s not used to coming out of games, but I just felt it was time to make the move,” Girardi said.
Sabathia, who felt last night was indicative of his season, continued his struggles as for the sixth time in 10 starts he failed to complete six innings, going 5²‚ƒ. But with the Yankees unloading 13 hits,— six of them bunched with a walk in the five-run fifth — the offense bailed out the lefty.
Hey, it was as pretty as pine tar on a helmet but it was a win so who’s complaining?
Sabathia (12-11) won for just the third time in 10 starts dating back to July 9 — forging a 6.67 ERA in those 10 games. He coughed up seven hits, five earned runs, one walk, one homer and two wild pitches. He struck out four.
“They just put some balls in play. I felt like I threw the ball pretty well, just a couple times they were able to get to me,” said Sabathia who acknowledged “a changeup up” to Danny Valencia who blasted a two-run homer in the fifth. “It turned out to be not as good, but I’m glad we got the win.”
After that, the Yankees offense was “unbelievable,” Sabathia said.
“That’s what I always talk about if I can keep these guys in the game we’ve got a good chance of winning. I was barely hanging on but these guys came up with a lot of runs.”
Then more trouble in the sixth and Girardi made his appearance.
“First three innings really, really sharp,” Girardi said. “They just put some balls in some good spots.”
And Sabathia had to exit.
“It’s just the way the year’s been going. I don’t blame [Girardi for the hook],” Sabathia said.