KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In an attempt to rediscover his signature splitter and put the teeth back in the slider, Masahiro Tanaka had a chat with pitching coach Larry Rothschild before Tuesday’s game against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
“Larry talked to him today about some mechanical things. Hopefully they get it ironed out,’’ Joe Girardi said of his ace, who got smoked for eight runs and seven hits (four homers) in 1 ²/u2083 innings Sunday night by the Astros at Yankee Stadium. “I think his front shoulder was flying a bit [Sunday]. Sometimes they are mechanical, and we have to iron them out.