Betances a nice surprise for Yankees
ST. LOUIS — Injuries and old age have made things a grind for the New York Yankees through their first 50 games.
But from out of nowhere, 26-year-old rookie reliever Dellin Betances has become quite the middle-inning and late-inning weapon for manager Joe Girardi’s heavily used bullpen.
Betances showed the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday just how difficult he is to hit. Working the eighth and ninth innings, Betances retired all six men he faced, with two strikeouts, giving him an absurd 51 strikeouts over 30 1/3 innings and lowering his earned run average to 1.48.
It was his sixth two-inning outing already, illustrating the faith Girardi has in Betances. And why wouldn’t the skipper have faith in a guy who can throw a 99-mph fastball, teamed with a sweeping breaking ball that is death on right-handed hitters?
“I knew I wanted multiple innings out of Betances and that’s why I did it,” Girardi said of waiting until the eighth to use him.
On a pace to threaten 100 innings this season, Betances might need a bit more rest or New York runs the risk of wearing him out in August and September. But with an arm and results like his, the temptation to run him out there night after night will be tough to resist
SD Yankee Report 