Yankees: Despite one obstacle after another, it’s not time to panic

The Yankees haven’t had the start to the season they’d hoped for, with multiple players on the IL. But after the recent spree of wins, the Yanks proved that all hope is not lost.

The Yankees have taken an “all hands on deck” mentality to the fullest extent. Contributions from formerly ill-favored players have aided the Bombers in lieu of their usual starters.

The likes of Clint Frazier, Thairo Estrada, Gio Urshela, Mike Ford and Mike Tauchman all have come up big in some way or another at the plate.

And after all this, the Yankees still stand in second place in the American League East, just two games behind Tampa Bay Rays.

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Now that’s not to say the Yankees, or their fans, are content with second place for a second year in a row, but that also doesn’t mean it’s time to panic.

The Yanks will eventually activate many of those players on the IL, including catcher Gary Sanchez, who just recently returned.

On top of that, the Bombers aren’t playing all that bad. A +31 run differential puts them third among all teams, behind only the St. Louis Cardinals and Rays.

Of course, we expect the Yankees offense to be leaps and bounds beyond the competition, but their pitching has been the life support; for the most part.

With the exceptions of J.A.Happ and Chad Green, the latter having already been demoted to the minors, the Yanks’ pitching has provided more than expected.

In fact, only four Yankee pitchers have an ERA currently above four. Domingo German’s impressive performances thus far have certainly helped in the absence of other more proven starters.

His 0.82 WHIP is the best on the team, trailed by veteran LHP C.C. Sabathia’s 0.93. It’s safe to say that these two have been underestimated after a month of baseball.

Although it’s only 15 IP for Sabathia, his first earned runs of the season came Wednesday night against the Angels, as C.C. carried a one-hitter into the fifth inning in his first start of the season.

Before Thursday’s defeat, Masahiro Tanaka had a sub-three ERA for the first time since his rookie year back in 2014. Although his high WHIP and BAA this season indicate that he might regress.

As for James Paxton, his performances have been on par with 2018, when he was in Seattle. Nevertheless, he’s still been impactful. The takeaway from Paxton is his consistency from last year, proving he truly is a dominant pitcher.

Happ is the only starter struggling as we head into May, which is primarily attributed to an abundance of home runs — seven actually. Twelve of Happ’s 17 ER this season have come off homers.

The problem for Happ seems to be his fastball, of which six of his seven home runs have come from. On top of that, a pitch that usually sports a low .228 BAA now has a .277, further signaling a source of Happ’s struggles.

The bullpen has been stellar as usual, with the occasional hiccup. Exceptions include the recently demoted Chad Green and the struggling Jonathan Holder.

Overall, the pitching has kept the Yankees afloat, along with their still above par offense, which is why there’s no need to panic. If the pitching continues to perform and the offense keeps it together until the return of many of its star players, the Yanks should be able to rebound effectively.

To add to that, the division rival Boston Red Sox, and prospective pennant competitors haven’t had the best of starts to the season. Under .500 and nowhere near as many injuries as the Bombers, clearly shows the Yankees are in better shape.

If any team were to rebound from a season this injury bountiful, it’d be the Yanks. With the depth and all around quality this team has, it’s more than likely to happen.