Palladino: Tanaka's Return Begins Another Tightrope Walk
By Ernie Palladino
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Ordinarily, the news of Masahiro Tanaka's return to the rotation Wednesday would set the population of Yankeedom to dancing and other such forms of revelry.
All would be right with the world. Tanaka and that magical right arm will resume their rightful place at the top of the rotation. Chris Capuano, at 0-3, 6.39 in the three starts he made at the tail end of Tanaka's absence, will head for the bullpen, buried in a long relief role where, with any luck, the southpaw will see mercifully little action.
The ace will replace the journeyman. Eight innings of one-run ball, here we come!
That's in a perfect world. But the world Tanaka operates in these days, and has operated in since last season, is far from ideal. And that means the time for rejoicing is not quite here yet. And it won't be here for a long time.
Better that everyone should hold their collective breath and offer up a little prayer of hope that Tanaka's elbow holds out the next four months.
Joe Girardi will undoubtedly take great care in his attempt to make that happen. He'll limit Tanaka to 80 to 85 pitches against Seattle, the usual routine for someone who hasn't thrown a major league game in nearly six weeks. But it's not how Girardi handles him Wednesday that counts.
It's what he does after that.
Eventually, the manager is going to have to take the leash off, and that's when things will get dicey. Remember, it was not the elbow that put Tanaka on the shelf this time. It was tendinitis in his wrist, no doubt a byproduct of the partial tear in the ulnar collateral ligament that looms Tommy John surgery over Tanaka like a Sword of Damocles.
How Girardi manages the double issue will determine Tanaka's immediate future. At the same time, he'll have to manage the game. Ideally, he would want Tanaka, just like any other starter, to go deep, avoiding any bridge to Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller.
But that hasn't been the case lately. The Yankees don't particularly specialize in the type of 7-2 rocking chair game they handed Michael Pineda on Monday night. They can't count on Mark Teixeira hitting a game-breaking grand slam every night. In fact, they can't ever count on the type of offense that allows a team to run away and hide from an opponent; not with Alex Rodriguez in a power slump, Stephen Drew a nonentity at the plate, and Chase Headley hitting below expectations.
So Tanaka will be working with a small margin for error, just like Pineda and CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi and Adam Warren.
If Tanaka is going well in a close game, how long can Girardi stick with him. Where Pineda or Sabathia would be allowed to pitch into the eighth, Tanaka might have to come out earlier.
Or, Girardi could leave him in and risk a higher pitch count and potential damage to that fragile ligament. Or an irritation of the wrist that will return him to the DL for another extended stint.
The right-hander's return Wednesday means the beginning of another tightrope walk for both pitcher and manager. How they handle Tanaka's immediate return in Seattle -- or the result that comes out of it -- is not nearly as important as how they figure out the rest of the season.
That is their problem. For the rest of the world, be happy that Tanaka is back. But postpone any dancing in the streets for now.
Better to hold one's breath.
This may only be the beginning of a bumpy ride.
