Tanaka searching for elusive pitching weapon

NEW YORK -- The splitter that has mystified hitters throughout Masahiro Tanaka's first five years with the Yankees has carried a spotty attendance record so far this season, and in his work between the five or so days that he sets foot on the mound, the right-hander has spent untold hours attempting to restore the pitch's vibrancy.

Some days, the splitter looks like it is under control, as it did in Tanaka's previous two starts. Then there are moments like the split-second after Tanaka floated one to Eric Hosmer in the first inning of Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Padres, and the hurler finds himself bracing for loud impact, then returning to the search for consistency.

"I've been in challenging situations before, not having pitches," Tanaka said through a translator. "I had to work through it. I think I've overcome them for the most part. It's a challenging time for me as far as the split goes, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to go over this hump."

• Box score

"Masa is a master at his craft and understands himself really well," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's a pitch that is a feel pitch for him. He's worked really hard in his side sessions between starts to find it. He's had it here and there, but it just hasn't been lock-down for him. Let's not forget, though, how well he has pitched."

Tanaka had limited opponents to three or fewer earned runs in five straight starts, though any damage has largely come from the splitter. Last season, opponents hit .210 with a .318 slugging percentage against the pitch, managing five homers against 77 strikeouts.

Hosmer's homer was the fifth that Tanaka has surrendered this year on a splitter, and opponents are batting .338 with a .610 slugging percentage against the pitch, recording 11 strikeouts.

"The first inning was definitely tough," said catcher Gary Sánchez, who largely steered Tanaka to his fastball and slider the rest of the way. "The split was a little too hard. He threw some good ones and some other ones that weren't necessarily where we wanted it. But we battled and we're going to find a way to make the adjustment."

Sanchez hit a fourth-inning homer to join Mickey Mantle (1956) as the only Yankees to hit 17 homers through their first 37 games of a season, accounting for the only run the Yankees managed against left-hander Eric Lauer, who scattered four hits across 5 1/3 innings.

San Diego added a run off Tanaka in the sixth as Ty France singled, advanced to third base on an Austin Hedges hit and scored on Greg Garcia's safety squeeze. Tanaka was charged with five runs (four earned) on a season-high nine hits, walking two and striking out seven.

None of the 15 splitters Tanaka threw Tuesday generated a swing-and-miss.

"When something is off, you feel that something is off," Tanaka said. "You don't necessarily give up on that pitch. You go back to it and try to get it back during the game. I guess it didn't work out today."

An inconsistent strike zone prompted barking on both sides, with Sanchez in particular irked by a called strike in the sixth inning on a 2-1 pitch that he said was "very low." Facing Matt Wisler, Sanchez struck out and Gleyber Torres flied out to left field, squelching a two-on, one-out rally.

"You definitely are going to be more comfortable hitting 3-1 against 2-2," Sanchez said. "When you find yourself in a count like that, you can expect a fastball or a pitch in the zone that you can hit. It definitely changes the at-bat."

The Yankees produced three runs in the seventh inning as San Diego sent four pitchers to the mound, including two -- Phil Maton and Robbie Erlin -- who did not record an out. LeMahieu stroked a two-run single and Aaron Hicks legged out a run-scoring fielder’s choice off Craig Stammen, trimming the deficit to a run, but Sanchez flied out to end the frame.

“Anytime we start to put it together, it's winning time,” Boone said. “These guys can smell it. They do a really good job in those moments. The bottom line is, you're going to come through some and as a hitter, you're usually not going to. It's about giving yourself that chance and we continue to do that.”

Stammen hurled 1 2/3 innings ahead of Kirby Yates, who pitched around a pinch-hit Gio Urshela single in the ninth to record his 21st save in as many opportunities. The former Yankee induced LeMahieu to ground into a double play on a replay-reviewed call for the final outs.

"We had that big inning there and got that feeling that we've been getting lately, that we're going to come back and somehow find a way to win," LeMahieu said. "We just fell a bit short there."