Yankees amazing and inconceivable season at the 40-game mark

Masahiro Tanaka and Micheal Pineda have pulled a Freaky Friday routine

Time is as fluid as your mind allows it to be. For instance, look at some of the questions from a Yankees trivia game:

Who is the Yankees best pitcher by ERA? Who is the Yankees most consistent pitcher? Name the pitcher who is maddeningly inconsistent? Name the pitcher whose stuff and results have the least conceivable correlation? Which pitcher do you least trust from a start to start basis?

If you were to let your mind wander freely over the last three years, you would have said Tanaka for the first two and Pineda for rest. If you answer them now, however, every answer is switched.

It is understandable, albeit regrettable that Tanaka is struggling. He has still gone out at times and looked like the best pitcher in baseball. But what is shocking is his Pineda-esque swings between that guy and the one who makes me cringe with every pitch. I’m starting to think Masahiro means, “Home Runs for All.”

Likewise, it would not be that surprising to see Pineda put it all together. He has electric stuff and an imposing size. Big Mike is not even so big anymore and seems to cut a better figure on the mound. And it’s not like he has turned in Clayton Kershaw. His ERA leads the team but is only 16^th best in the AL. I could understand if he finally became this good.

But both happening at once? That doesn’t happen, and it’s weird. And, to paraphrase Pacino, we’re just gettin’ warmed up.