CC Sabathia has been an ace for the New York Yankees over the years. The left-handed pitcher could always be counted on to give a stellar performance when the team needed him the most. However, something is different this year. Something is off. As the pitcher's throwing velocity continues to be non-existent, so does his abilities to get wins and Sabathia is only blaming himself.
Sunday was not kind to Sabathia. The pitcher gave up seven runs in seven innings during his worst performance of the season. Tampa Bay demolished the Yankees 8-3 during the warm afternoon game.
"I'm hurting the team. I'm not helping the team out. I just need to get better," Sabathia said after the game. The pitcher noted that it is his all-around performance that is struggling. There is not one standout issue.
"It's just everything. Not being able to make pitches with two strikes, fastball command, location I just need to work and make certain I can get better and try to help the team," Sabathia said.
The Sunday outing is only the third time Sabathia has given up seven earned runs since joining the Yankees. It also continues his losing streak at Tropicana Field. He has gone winless in his past seven starts at Tampa Bay.
Sabathia has been that been in the month of May. His 4-4 record in the month is the first time since 2008 that Sabathia has been at .500 or worse at this point in the season. In his past three starts, the lefty has given up 13 runs in 19.2 innings, giving him a 5.95 ERA. He closed out the month going 0-2 with three no decisions and an overall ERA of 4.80. His velocity remains in the upper-80s, low 90s range.
"I've been through bad stretches in my career, but it's tough. It's just one of those things where you've got to keep working, keep going and believe that you're going to get better," Sabathia said.
Manager Joe Girardi is confident that Sabathia's struggles will not be an issue much longer. He pointed towards the pitcher's record, noting that his career success will get him out of the slump.
Larry Rothschild, Sabathia's pitching coach, is stumped as to why the starting pitcher has struggled with things that are normally a non issue for him. He agrees that their is some inconsistency with Sabathia and his ability to throw hard over the plate. He believes there are little mechanical issues that might need to be ironed, but he is positive the pitcher will make a successful comeback.