Girardi on WFAN: Improved Pitching Is Helping Yankees Get Back On Track
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Last week, Yankees' manager Joe Girardi said he thought his team was about to snap out of it -- they did, with wins in Seattle, and against the Reds.
Girardi credited improved pitching, and run support with getting the Bombers back on track.
"I just felt that we were pitching a lot better, our bullpen had been stabilized, and if we scored some runs we were going to win a lot of games and that's what happened," he said.
A tremendous resurgence by CC Sabathia hasn't been lost on the Yankee's manager either.
"That's what longevity is about in this game, because you have to do it a couple different times, and he really has done it. He's been the one guy in tough situations you could really count on this year, where we really need him. You can go to the Saturday game in Boston after we lost a really tough game Friday. He hadn't thrown a whole lot, he didn't have a good start the first start, he threw a simulated game, we let him know on Friday that he might pitch, and he comes out and pitches a gem," he said.
The bullpen may be another story; Dellin Betances had to be pulled after he nearly blew a two-run lead against the Reds.
"He had thrown about seven or eight pretty good outings before that, and he just lost his strike zone again. He couldn't throw his fastball for strikes and he was struggling with his breaking ball," Girardi said.
Girardi also discussed the plate performance of Aaron Judge, communicating with players as they move into new roles on the team, and getting Gary Sanchez to improve as a defensive catcher.
