Mixed results in Jonathan Loaisiga's audition for regular spot in Yankees' rotation
Jonathan Loaisiga of the Yankees pitches against the Tigers in the third inning at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
With CC Sabathia poised to rejoin the Yankees’ rotation after the road trip that begins in Baltimore on Thursday, Aaron Boone took a close look at righthander Jonathan Loaisiga, the starting pitcher in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Tigers at Yankee Stadium.
Boone called Loaisiga’s outing “a little bit mixed results-wise.” The 24-year-old lasted just four innings, but allowed only one run, one hit and three walks, with four strikeouts.
Loaisiga’s turn was marred slightly by a three-walk fourth inning in which Detroit scored on a sacrifice fly. Loaisiga exited after throwing 70 pitches and giving Boone reason to get excited about his next outing – if there is one.
"I thought he pitched well,” Boone said. “I thought he ran into some trouble where he lost the strike zone a little bit, and a lot of pitches there in that fourth inning. Would have liked to have gotten him a little bit deeper into the game. Bottom line is he made pitches, kept the scoring down, left having only having given up one run and [gave] us a chance.”
Loaisiga was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the start. The Yankees reinstated Sabathia from the suspended list – he was banned for the first five games of the season for his part in a brawl with the Rays last September – and then placed him on the 10-day injured list as he recovers from a heart procedure and offseason knee surgery.
With days off Friday and April 11, the Yankees can manipulate their rotation to suit their fancy before Sabathia returns, perhaps soon after the next homestand begins April 12.
Yankees starters have allowed one earned run or none in five of the six games this season and have a 2.32 ERA. James Paxton, J.A. Happ and Domingo German are scheduled to start against the Orioles, who took two of three from the Yankees in the season-opening series.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
