After clinching a playoff berth on Tuesday, Yankees' manager Joe Girardi did a little rearranging in his pitching rotation. The Yankees pushed scheduled starter Andy Pettitte back until Friday, likely lining him up better for the postseason.
Taking Pettitte’s turn in the rotation was the inconsistent Javier Vazquez. The righty had a chance to push the Yankees into first place in the American League East. It could very well have been Vazquez’s last chance to make a case for a playoff roster spot.
He blew it.
Vazquez lasted just 4.2 innings, giving up seven runs on ten hits including three home runs to the Toronto Blue Jays. He also walked two and did not strike out a single batter.
With a strong start, Vazquez may have been considered for the fourth starter spot in the starting playoff rotation. While that was a long shot, he could have at least made a case for a bullpen spot.
Any roster spot seems unlikely after this latest rough outing. Vazquez has pitched in five games during the month of September, with three of those appearances as starts.
In those five games, Vazquez has given up 18 runs and 24 hits in 18.1 innings. He has struck out just 10 batters the entire month.
For the month of September, Vazquez is 0-1 with a 8.84 ERA, certainly not playoff type numbers.
Continue to full article at Double G Sports.
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