Here’s the best of Cam Schlittler, the rock of Yankees rotation
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK – In still a relatively small sample, Yankees’ starter Cam Schlittler is gaining a reputation for craving the spotlight and elevating his game.
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Just like his playoff victory last October against the Red Sox, “you’re going to be a little extra locked in for situations like this,’’ Schlittler said of his first Subway Series start.
“It’s a lot of fun to be a part of.’’
There was a full house Friday night at Citi Field, but a loud majority of fans from the other side of town could be heard by the end of 5-2 win against the Mets.
Like that 12-strikeout, eight scoreless inning gem in a Wild Card Series elimination game against Boston seven months ago, “I think you can notice when I get a little bit extra locked in,’’ said Schlittler.
“There was a lot of buzz around’’ Friday’s game. “Great atmosphere and it was good to get a win,’’ just the Yanks’ second win in their last seven games.
Schlittler had a one-hit shutout going into the seventh, when he surrendered a leadoff homer to Juan Soto off an 0-and-2 fastball.
But the Yanks had built a 4-0 lead, with two-out RBI hits by Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in a three-run third off old friend Clay Holmes and Spencer Jones’ RBI single in the fifth.
Turns out, Holmes pitched into the fifth inning with a right leg fracture – absorbing a 111-mph Jones’ comebacker in the fourth.
“Says a lot about who he is to go back out there again the next inning with a broken leg,’’ said Jones, a friend of Holmes; they work out at the same Nashville facility in the offseason.
So, it’s another tough break for the Mets, and another great escape for Schlittler, who was on the receiving end Friday of two comebackers – one off his left foot, one off his left ankle.
Schlittler was already pitching with a big bruise to the back of his lower left leg, due to a hard comebacker last weekend at Milwaukee.
“Yeah, it’s tough. Left leg has taken a beating a little bit,’’ said Schlittler. “Luckily, today they weren’t too bad. Not much I can do about it.
“It’s just kind of where the ball goes when they put it in play. I hope it stops, but it doesn’t look too likely.’’
The first one, in the third inning off the bat of Luis Torrens, caught Schlittler’s left cleat.
The second one, in the seventh, off the bat of Mark Vientos, caught him on the inner ankle.
Neither caused any damage.
And the most encouraging part was, “I don’t think I had my A-plus stuff, but I was able to get in the zone,’’ Schlittler said of his two-hitter over 6.2 innings, with nine strikeouts.
“You can say we expect it from (Schlittler), but we know how hard baseball is,’’ said Chisholm (3-for-4), but there’s no surprise when he locks it in like this.
For added measure, Schlittler’s performance – keeping him first in the majors in ERA and elevating him to first in the AL in strikeouts – came a few hours after Max Fried went on the injured list.
“Longterm, (we) feel like we’re in an OK spot,’’ said Yanks manager Aaron Boone, after his lefty ace was diagnosed with an elbow bone bruise.
Carlos Rodon makes his second start back from the IL (elbow procedure) on Saturday, while Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery rehab) is making what could be his second-to-last minor league rehab start before moving back into the Yanks’ rotation.
Yet, the Yankees’ rotation rock right now is Schlittler, the lanky kid from New England with an electric arsenal – and a worrisome penchant lately for being a magnet for comebackers.
Schlittler walked off the mound Friday at Citi Field essentially without a scratch, another victory.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Cam Schlittler has become the rock of the Yankees rotation