Chad Green has faced some struggles to start this season, and as a result, the Yankees decided to send him down to Triple-A Scranton on April 24th.
Green has not nearly pitched at the level that he usually does, sporting a 16.43 ERA in seven and two-thirds innings pitched to begin the year. Per Bryan Hoch, Chad Green’s day-by-day ERA is not something that a Yankees fan would want to look at.
Chad Green's day-by-day ERA looks like a Target receipt.
9.00
11.81
9.95
8.59
12.27
16.43— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 24, 2019
In 2018, Green had only given up 21 earned runs and nine home runs in 75 and two-thirds innings, and so far in 2019, he has given up 14 earned runs and four home runs in 68 less innings than last season.
Even in non-pressure situations, Green has not been able to pull it together. On Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Chad Green came in relief for Domingo German, who had a stellar outing with six and two-thirds innings pitched, and Green finished the seventh inning getting the final out.
In the eighth inning, Green faced four batters, gave up a single to the Angels number nine hitter, a single to Kole Calhoun, and then walked Mike Trout. Green’s final batter of the inning, Justin Bour, hit a grand slam on a hanging changeup that Green left right over the plate.
The Yankees’ right-hander was given a six-run lead to work with, and quickly shortened the Yankees’ lead to that of a two-run lead with his short outing.
Last season, Chad Green had an 11.2 SO/9 and a 2.50 ERA, which was a bit less dominant than his 2017 season, where he posted a 13.4 SO/9 and a 1.83 ERA, but when Chad Green was put into the game, many were confident that he could get the job done. Yankees fans were still confident when the thought of Boone handing the ball over to Green came to their minds. But when the season started, this was not to be.
The Yankees bullpen has not been the force many thought that they would be. Through the first 23 games of the season, the Yankees bullpen was 13th in the majors with a 4.25 ERA and 17th with a .238 batting average against. Without Dellin Betances, the Yankees looked to pitchers such as Chad Green and Adam Ottavino to hold down the fort while Betances comes back from injury. During this time, Chad Green has simply not been himself, and has hurt the Yankees bullpen in the process.
While Chad Green is down in Scranton, Yankees fans can only hope that Green finds his form from previous seasons, as the Yankee bullpen needs help to become the feared pen that they were once thought to be.
Featured Image: Aaron Josefczyk - Associated Press
