Yankee Fans Still Need to See More Out of Masahiro Tanaka

The Yankees have had plenty of problems with the starting rotation this year, and the poster boy for their struggles has been none other than veteran arm Masahiro Tanaka.

The second half has been especially brutal for him. Entering Sunday, he had allowed 38 hits in just five starts, pitching to a 9.49 ERA.

And though he turned in an absolute gem of a performance against the Blue Jays on Sunday, the fans still need to see more out of him if they're to trust him down the stretch and into the playoffs.

They need to see that his eight innings of shutout baseball against Toronto were more than just a flash in the pan. They need consistency and they need it now.

Trust in Tanaka has slowly withered away start-by-start in 2019. Even after the gem against the Jays, his ERA still stands at 4.64 for the year. Toronto's offense is nothing to write home about. They've posted a 90 wRC+, good for 22nd in the league, and they're .307 wOBA ranks even worse at 23rd.

The key for him to reestablish himself as the front man in the rotation is his performance against quality opponents. In 11 starts against teams with a winning record, he's managed a disappointing 5.34 ERA.

It's in that department that he needs to turn things around. The fans know he can get them a win against the bottom teams in the league.

But if he can start winning crucial games against potential playoff opponents, then the Yankees will have nothing to worry about.