Yankees’ Marcus Stroman bounces back after break to fix mechanics
Marcus Stroman took a few extra days to work on his mechanics after having his start pushed back following two straight miserable outings.
The added work paid off Sunday, as the right-hander allowed just one run over five-plus innings in the Yankees’ 8-7 win over Texas in The Bronx.
“It’s hard over the course of a year to be locked in the whole time,’’ Stroman said.
And he and the Yankees felt something needed to be done after he’d allowed 12 runs — 10 earned — over just six innings in his previous two starts.
While still not at his sharpest — Stroman walked three on Sunday — he was mostly effective and far better than he was against the Red Sox and Blue Jays.
Despite those struggles, Stroman insisted his mindset hadn’t changed.
“I’m not someone who loses confidence after a few outings,’’ Stroman said.
His dip in performance, though, goes back longer than just a pair of clunkers.
After putting up an ERA of 2.60 through his first 12 starts, Stroman entered Sunday with a 6.32 ERA in his previous 10.
Manager Aaron Boone thought the adjustments Stroman made to his lower half paid dividends.
“He was good,’’ Boone said. “He stayed out of the heart of the plate. … He was able to put the ball on the ground when he needed to.”
Stroman walked Josh Smith to open the sixth and allowed an RBI-double to Corey Seager before being lifted for Jake Cousins, who got out of the inning without allowing another run to score.
Boone thought Stroman might have tired as his pitch count approached 90 after being in the 60s in each of his previous two outings.
And while Stroman’s velocity on his sinker remained mostly under 90, he proved again that doesn’t stop him from getting results.
With the rotation looking for consistency, Stroman’s bounceback could be an important development.
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