If Marcus Stroman’s outing on Sunday, August 11, against the Texas Rangers is any indication, he’s finding his form again at the right time for the New York Yankees.
Although his start was limited to five innings, it was his best since June, as he held the Rangers to just one run on four hits. This was a stark improvement from his previous eight starts, where he had a 6.87 ERA, allowed 13 more hits than innings pitched, and opponents were hitting .325 against him.
With Clarke Schmidt set to return and add depth to the Yankees’ rotation, Stroman made a strong case to continue getting the ball every five days.
“I don’t lose confidence over a few rough outings,” Stroman said after the game, as reported by The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty. “My confidence stays the same, no matter what I’m going through. I approach every start with the same mindset. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don’t.”
This time, it did, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided insight into the reason.
“He avoided the middle of the plate more,” Boone said, according to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson. “His stuff was sharp. I probably kept him in a bit too long today because he hasn’t reached that pitch count in a while. He might have been a bit tired in the sixth inning. But he managed to stay out of trouble and kept the ball on the ground.”
Stroman threw 89 pitches in total, with 52 strikes. His ground ball percentage was the highest since June 11 (56.3%), and he allowed the lowest fly ball percentage since April 10 (12.5%).
Aaron Boone Thought Marcus Stroman Was ‘Crisper’ With His Pitches
Stroman mentioned that his confidence didn’t waver during his rough patch, but he used his off days to focus on refining his mechanics, particularly starting from his legs. Boone explained that everything athletically starts from the ground up, and it seemed Stroman had been getting away from using his legs effectively. After working on this in a few bullpen sessions, Boone hopes this will make Stroman’s pitches sharper.
The stats support this improvement, with Stroman throwing his fastball at its highest velocity since May, averaging 90.3 mph, according to FanGraphs. His secondary pitches also had more movement than in the last two months. While he didn’t generate as many swings and misses as usual, the Rangers were more cautious, swinging at fewer pitches both overall and in the zone than Stroman’s opponents had in a month.
Stroman also credited his catcher, Austin Wells, for helping him regain his command. He felt Wells mixed the pitches well, which boosted his confidence and allowed him to get back into his rhythm. Stroman was pleased to get the win.
The Yankees delayed his start on Sunday, giving him nine days of rest instead of the usual five. This extra time was used to address the mechanical issues the team had identified. Boone noted that the additional rest, combined with extra work days, helped Stroman fine-tune his mechanics and feel better overall.
The State of the Yankees Rotation
Schmidt’s anticipated return means the Yankees will have six capable starting pitchers as they head into the final month of the season. However, having depth in pitching doesn’t necessarily mean having quality pitching.
Since June 15, the Yankees’ starting pitchers have posted the worst ERA in baseball at 6.00. Part of this is due to Stroman, who is hoping to have turned things around. Another part is Gerrit Cole, who has struggled to keep up, having made just nine starts this year. However, his last two outings have been encouraging. Over 11 innings in back-to-back starts against Toronto and Texas, he’s allowed just 3 earned runs while striking out 14 and walking 2, reducing his ERA from 5.40 to 4.70.
Meanwhile, Luis Gil appears to be bouncing back from his mid-season slump, posting a 1.93 ERA over his last five starts. However, he’s already exceeded his professional career high in innings pitched, so the Yankees might limit his workload as the season progresses.
Carlos Rodon, like Gil, seems to be recovering after a tough stretch of starts, giving up only 6 runs over his last 4 outings while striking out 31 batters in 24.1 innings.
On the other hand, Nestor Cortes has yet to snap out of his slump. He has a 9.26 ERA over his last five starts, and his six-run outing against the Angels last week hasn’t inspired much confidence among Yankees fans. If he doesn’t improve by the end of the month, his spot in the Yankees’ rotation could be in jeopardy.
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