Aroldis Chapman has hit quite a skid as of late, his ERA going from 0.39 to 3.77 over his last eight appearances; his ERA in that span, which started with a rough outing in Minnesota, is 17.47 (11 earned runs over 5 2/3 innings), the latest blip a meltdown that saw him allow four runs on three walks and one big game-tying Jared Walsh grand slam in Wednesday night’s loss to the Angels.
Blame it on anything from lack of work (he hadn’t pitched in a week) to a broken fingernail to MLB’s crackdown on substances to just a bad run of days, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone believes that Chapman has also had some good outings in that stretch, too.
“Certainly he’s been inconsistent, but I do think it’s important to note to going back to Minnesota, he has had a few really good ones in there, where he threw the ball well, was in the strike zone and commanding his pitches,” Boone told Carton & Roberts on Friday. “There have been a few struggles, and the other night was one of those, but early on, when he was as efficient as he’s ever been, he was in tune with his delivery.”
Losing that, Boone says, may be the culprit.
“He was consistent with his delivery, so he was efficient from a command standpoint, and there are some things we’ve identified with his delivery that we’ve noticed that have affected his fastball command,” Boone said. “So, we’re doing some things to show him where his mechanics might be a little off, and maybe changing up his pregame and between-game routines, to get him throwing off a slope every couple days to make sure he’s feeling everything.”
Boone did admit that he thought about pulling Chapman after walking Anthony Rendon on Wednesday, but felt he earned one more batter…which, unfortunately, turned out to be Walsh’s slam.
“I felt like he was getting more competitive within that at-bat against Rendon; he walked him on a close pitch, and I also knew that (Lucas) Luetge had thrown a lot two days earlier, so how much did we have out of him behind him and what we were up against if we got into extra innings,” Boone said. “So, I felt he got competitive enough to earn another batter, but he hung a pitch.”
Boone may try to get Chapman some more low-leverage work to avoid going too long between outings – something that has often seen the closer get a little wild at times – but he also won’t hesitate to go back to Chappy this weekend if and when the save situation arises.
“You never know where the game takes us, but I do want him back out there,” Boone said. “But, if (a save situation doesn’t come about), there may be some times over the next several days where I might get him into a lower-leverage spot, to get him the work and make sure he’s in line with his mechanics and delivery.”
Listen to Boone’s entire appearance on Carton & Roberts below!
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