The New York Yankees pitching staff took a hit Sunday when the team announced Masahiro Tanaka will miss Wednesday's start with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain.
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Ivan Nova to Take Tanaka's Start
Sunday, Sept. 20
While any injury to a pitcher of Tanaka's quality is a concern, the silver lining for the Yankees is the severity of the setback. Buster Olney of ESPN noted New York hopes the pitcher only misses one start.
Tanaka missed more than one month from late April to early June because of a forearm strain. But his ERA sits at a solid 3.38, and he boasts an impressive 0.99 WHIP.
His inconsistencies in the health department were compounded by the fact that CC Sabathia missed a large portion of 2015 with a knee injury. Michael Pineda also missed time, and Ivan Nova is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery last year.
The Yankees have been able to stay in the American League East and wild-card races despite all of the problems with their starting rotation, but given how well the Toronto Blue Jays have been playing since acquiring David Price, they likely have their eyes on a wild-card spot.
Ideally, Tanaka will return after only one missed start and be fresh for a postseason run in October.
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