Key Yankees Relievers Continue to Make Progress in Bullpen

Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loáisiga have looked great over the last several games, an encouraging sign for New York's pitching staff,

NEW YORK — When Michael King went down with his season-ending elbow injury last month, the Yankees were in desperate need of a boost in their bullpen.

On Monday, New York invested a group of quality prospects to bolster their pitching staff, adding relievers Scott Effross and Lou Trivino in addition to coveted starting pitcher Frankie Montas. 

Those trades will have an immediate impact in the 'pen and with hours to go before the deadline on Tuesday, New York could make even more moves. 

External additions aren't the only reason to be encouraged about the state of New York's bullpen, though. It's a small sample size, but all of a sudden, two key relievers are beginning to turn their seasons around. 

Aroldis Chapman and Jonathan Loáisiga both pitched scoreless innings in Monday night's 7-2 victory over the Mariners. Over the Yankees' last seven games, each of those relievers have delivered four scoreless appearances, combining for 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts and two hits allowed.

Jonathan Loáisiga and Aroldis Chapman both pitched scoreless innings tonight.

They've combined to throw 7.1 scoreless frames with 7 K, 2 H and 0 BB over the last week.

Small sample, but certainly an encouraging sign.

— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 2, 2022

On Monday, Chapman pitched the seventh in a 6-2 ballgame. After striking out the first batter he faced, the left-hander allowed a hard single to left off the bat of Jesse Winker. It was the first hit he's allowed since his three-run meltdown in Baltimore on July 22. It also might've been a ground ball out to the shortstop if New York wasn't shifting to the right side against a left-handed hitter. 

Nonetheless, a baserunner didn't deter Chapman from continuing to find success on the mound. Four pitches later, he got Eugenio Suarez to bounce into an inning-ending double play. 

"We like what we're seeing, love the rhythm he's getting into, the way he's throwing the ball," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the win. "[Chapman's role will be] fluid and evolve, but I'm not racing to put him in any particular situation. I'm looking at getting him in against parts of the order that I think he can be successful against. And if he's throwing the ball like this, that's most of them."

Loáisiga replaced Chapman to pitch the eighth, retiring the side in order on 14 pitches. Chapman threw 12 pitches. Both pounded the strike zone again on Monday, avoiding any free passes during this recent quality stretch as well.

Remember, before this week-long surge, Chapman had a 5.75 ERA on the year and Loáisiga's ERA was up at 7.52. Both arms missed time on the injured list this summer. If they can pitch well like this and stay healthy going forward, recapturing their old form and holding on to it for the rest of the season, it's hard to quantify just how impactful that would be for this bullpen.

Mix those restorations in the 'pen with the additions of Trivino and Effross and it lessens the blow of losing King (and Chad Green) for the year. King was irreplaceable, but this certainly helps. 

That said, Chapman and Loáisiga still need to prove they can keep this up (and produce these types of results against contenders on a consistent bases). Same goes for the new faces in New York's bullpen as they get acclimated with their new team over the coming days and weeks.

"On paper, it looks good. But again, that's all it is," Boone said. "We've got to go out and hopefully put ourselves in a position to set those guys up to be successful. That's what we're here to work to do. But we certainly feel confident in the talent we have."

MORE:

• What Scott Effross Brings to the Yankees' Bullpen
• Yankees Shrug Off Frankie Montas’ Recent Shoulder Issue
• Yankees Move Luis Severino, Miguel Castro to 60-Day Injured List; What it Means

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