The problem is he had two bumpy starts.

"With every bad start by Masahiro Tanaka, it’s only a matter of time before the questions begin.

Is his elbow healthy? Should he have had Tommy John surgery? Will he make it through the entire season?"

Questions don't ask themselves.


"Tanaka posted his second straight dreadful outing on Saturday, flushing a 6-0 lead while allowing three home runs for the second time in six days. Jose Altuve’s game-tying shot actually made Tanaka’s jaw drop, which of course surfaced on the web as a GIF within about 15 minutes.

But what if these past two outings had nothing to do with Tanaka’s elbow at all?"


Was he going to be the first pitcher in MLB history to win every game?


"The Yankees insist he’s healthy. Tanaka says he feels fine. Who are we not to believe them?

Here’s the thing: If Tanaka truly is healthy, then there may be an even greater challenge ahead of him now than the partially torn ligament in his elbow.

He needs to figure out why he’s become so darn hittable."

Mechanics. It's a feeling. It's not always easy to make good pitches. Professional major league batters sometimes hit your bad pitches.


"Tanaka has proven to be a bona fide ace since joining the Yankees. His first 14 starts last year were as good as we’ve seen in years, and although he had a few bumpy starts in June and July, he never had a chance to work through his problems thanks to the elbow injury that sidelined him for more than two months."

So when he had few bumpy starts last year ... did you write a whole big column about it?


"When he came off the disabled list less than three weeks ago, Tanaka looked like his old self, allowing four runs over three starts, striking out 21 batters without issuing a walk in 21 innings."


Right.

So it's not his elbow.


"These have been the worst two consecutive outings of his brief big-league career. If it’s not his elbow — and I’ll take the Yanks at their word that it’s not — then what’s the problem?

'It’s really a feeling thing,' Tanaka said through a translator. 'It’s just that the mechanics are off and that’s causing my pitches to not go where I want them to. That’s all I can say.'

He better get it figured out soon or the Yankees will be in real trouble."


Well, gee.

The Yankees' best pitcher had better not give up six runs every game or the Yankees are in trouble.



"If you’re waiting for Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto to save the day before the trade deadline, you’re probably going to be disappointed as the Yankees are unlikely to part with the necessary prospects — read: Aaron Judge and/or Luis Severino — to land one of those aces in a deal.

They already have an ace. He’s just not pitching like one."

Except when he is, which is most of the time.


By the way? Nobody is waiting for Hamels or Cueto ... and when either of them have a bad start (Hamels just got tagged by the Yankees, actually), do you wonder out loud if their elbows are OK?

When Matt Harvey gets smoked, do you question his decision to have Tommy John surgery?

This is just one more person keeping score, rooting against Tanaka so he can gleefully proclaim "I told ya so."