There was a time when this performance would have been recorded as a disappointing start by Corey Kluber.
Now is not the time. And he’s talking about the state of the Yankees that this performance is the mood aspect.
Kluber threw four goalless frames before losing the court, but it was really the least of the Yankees’ worries Wednesday night in a 4-1 loss to the Braves. Lack of race support generated a zero margin for error, and award winner Cy Young, 35 and twice, was wrong when he issued three starts in fifth.
“With the expectations we all have for ourselves, it’s clear that it’s hard to get past that fifth entry,” Kluber said. “If you try to see the whole picture, I think there’s a lot of good in the first four times.”
On the one hand, Kluber (0-2) showed an improvement by allowing two hits and walking four on 4 ² / ₃ innings. He failed to get more than 12 starts in any of his first three outings since returning from a shoulder injury in late 2020 and put nine runners at the base the two times he survived four innings.
“I didn’t set an expectation because there were a lot of unknowns that had gotten there,” Kluber said. As frustrated as I am with some of the results (free passes and things like that), I honestly feel like I’m moving in the right direction. Things are very close to being at the point I would like to be. I just want it to arrive a little earlier. “
This actually resulted in a throwback gem when Kluber retired from 12 of the first 14 hitters he faced, working around a single single in the second and an outing march in the third. Then came the fifth, when 15 of his 29 pitches lost the strike zone, including 13 of the final 20 when the Braves ’lineup turned.
“I wish I had done a better job of making an adjustment in the middle of the inning and being able to block again,” Kluber said. “You have to go back and look at things and see if I can find something to work on in the bullring and identify what might have gone wrong.”
Kluber retired after Ehire Adrianza broke the deadlock with a sacrifice fly and Freddie Freeman walked for four pitches. Nick Nelson came in with loaded bases and walked in a second run, which was the kiss of death with the Yankees not touching starter Ian Anderson.
On the other hand, it would be easier to swallow the Kluber line as part of the rebuilding process toward long-term reliability if it weren’t the No. 2 holder of a team that doesn’t reach the length of its rotation, the clutch blows from his lineup or all the routine plays from his defense.
It may be too, too soon to ask you to throw zeros into a deep game, but payments for a $ 11 million contract are in progress.
“Because it’s cold and windy, sometimes it’s a little hard to feel,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought things were good. It was generating a lot of soft contact. He gave us a chance. Obviously, we didn’t do enough offense. “