Vazquez extremely effective and picks up win, but hurts finger on bunt
This was the Javier Vazquez the Yankees so desperately needed to see. Calm, confident and, most important, dominant.
On one of the biggest stages, the righthander did not falter or become flustered. Instead, the old Vazquez returned, the one who proved to be an ace for the Atlanta Braves last season, winning 15 games and finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Vazquez had helped derail the Yankees' early surge in April and early May, but on Friday night, he was nearly flawless in the Yankees' 2-1 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. He held the Mets hitless for 41/3 innings and wound up allowing a bloop single and two walks in six innings, striking out six.
Vazquez (3-4) threw only 70 pitches (46 for strikes), and his impressive outing might have continued had he not bruised his right index finger while fouling off a sacrifice-bunt attempt in the seventh inning. He then got the bunt down but had to leave the game. Vazquez was taken for X-rays, which were negative.
"I feel so embarrassed because I've been doing this for a lot of years in the National League and this has never happened to me," said Vazquez, whose finger was bandaged.
Vazquez said he didn't realize his finger was bleeding until he took off his batting glove. But he expects to make his next scheduled start.
The instability and inconsistency that plagued him early in the season never surfaced Friday night. Instead, he exuded confidence with every pitch.
Aside from a walk to Alex Cora, he started off smoothly, striking out Jason Bay on a 91-mph fastball and Ike Davis on a 78-mph curve to end the first inning.
He worked 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, and after Cora walked again in the fourth, Francisco Cervelli - from his knees - threw out Cora on an attempted steal of second to end the inning.
Vazquez also was unfazed by the loss of his no-hit bid, courtesy of Angel Pagan's weak hack that landed just beyond Derek Jeter's reach in shallow left-center. Rod Barajas grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The good vibes from Vazquez's most recent outing appeared to have followed him all the way from the Bronx to Flushing. He was credited with the win in the Yankees' 11-9 victory over the Red Sox Monday at Yankee Stadium, striking out Kevin Youkilis - the only batter he faced - to end the ninth. He also pitched well in his previous start, a 2-0 loss to the Tigers on May 12, striking out seven and allowing five hits in seven innings.
This time it was Vazquez who was throwing blanks. "He was great," Joe Girardi said. "He picked up right where he left off. It wasn't a situation where I wanted to take him out of the game."
"I'm making better pitches, and that's the bottom line," said Vazquez, who credited his newfound fastball command for his recent success and said his troubles were caused by mechanical and mental issues. "When you're out there and you're competing, you've got to make good pitches. And I think I'm making more quality pitches out there and it's helping me."
