Colon continues crummy conduct

Cy Colon turned in his second consecutive terrible outing last night. He lasted just 2/3 of an inning and gave up eight runs (three earned) on six hits (three were infield singles) with two walks and no strikeouts. The short outing probably could have been avoided if Eddie Nunez hadn’t been so bad at third, but that’s part of the game. Colon threw just 42 pitches with 25 going for strikes. The eight first-inning runs were the most the team had allowed in over a decade. In other words: it was not a game that will ever be seen on Yankees Classics.

In his defense, he didn’t pass the blame for Thursday’s debacle:

"I don’t blame anybody. That was my fault. I don’t pitch good, and they hit me and I lost the game."

Over his last two starts, Colon has given up 13 runs (eight earned), 16 hits and six walks to only one strikeout in 6 1/3 innings of work. To put that in perspective, over his four previous starts Bart yielded 17 hits, three runs, and 22 strikeouts to three walks in 27 innings. He did suffer a hamstring injury after the June 11 game, but he returned to pitch well against the Mets on July 2.

So what’s wrong with Colon? It could be any number of things. He seems to think the hamstring is affecting his mental state:

"It’s affecting me a little bit because I’m not pitching the same way I’m pitching (when I’m) aggressive. I have been a little bit afraid. I’ve been thinking about it…I think it’s why my sinker is not sinking the way it’s supposed to is because I’ve been thinking about my leg too much."

The injury — and if he’s not 100 percent — could be the case because he looked like he wasn’t running full speed to cover first on a play last night. Or it could be that his age is catching up with him. Or it could be that the effects of the stem cell procedure he had last year aren’t as long-lasting as he thought. Or it could be that the Blue Jays were stealing signs. Or it could be that these two games are an anomaly and Colon will return to Cy form in his next start.

For those of you scoring at home, I say that these two games are an anomaly and he’ll bounce back (pun intended) sooner rather than later.

Whatever the case may be, the Yankees certainly got their money’s worth out of his deal. And if he’s finished then half a season of great production is more than any Yankee fan could have hoped for when the team announced his signing.