The Yankees appear to have a new and improved Marcus Stroman in their rotation.
The right-hander tossed seven strong innings on Friday night, limiting the St. Louis Cardinals to just two runs despite giving up nine hits but did not walk anyone and struck out five in a 6-3 Yankees win.
It was the fourth straight start in which Stroman held his opponent to three or fewer runs, giving him a 2.35 ERA since the Yankees pushed him back in the rotation earlier this month and adjusting his mechanics.
“I feel great,” Stroman said after the game. “Just looking forward to taking this into my next start. Obviously into the next few weeks and months into the season where it gets down to the nitty gritty.”
One of Stroman’s glaring issues this year has been his inability to pitch deep into games. Friday marked the first time that he’s pitched into the seventh inning since June 22 and first time that he’s completed a full seven since May 31.
He had failed to pitch past the fifth inning in four of six starts before the Yankees pushed him back to work on the mechanics after lasting just 2.2 innings on Aug. 2.
So, what’s changed?
“The stuff is a little crisper,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Whether it’s a mile per hour on the heater, I don’t know. But it feels a little sharper watching from the side. Misses are in line when he’s going well. Command-wise, he’s getting better places.”
Stroman credited the control of his sinker for his success on Friday night, especially in the later innings, but attributed multiple different factors for his recent success in the bigger picture.
“For me it’s process oriented,” Stroman said. “A lot of things going on in the weight room, behind the scenes, a lot of things going on mechanically. I feel pretty sound and very fluid and in sync.”