Yesterday, Masahiro Tanaka had his second rehab start with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. 
In Pawtucket, home of the AAA Red Sox, Tanaka threw three innings in which he allowed three earned runs on four hits. He walked two and fanned four.
Four strikouts sounds good, but giving up three runs in only three innings of work does not sound good. The thing Yankee fans need to worry about most is the loss of velocity (according to the New York Post. And if the NY Post tells it, it must be true 😉 ). During the game, the velocity of his fastball topped the high 80s. He recorded all of his strikouts with off-speed stuff.
Positive thing was that Tanaka threw 62 pitches and claimed to be pain free but he refused to tell if he felt ready to return to the Bigs. The forearm soreness and wrist tendinitis, which the Yankees have sidelined him for since April 23rd, are signals that Tommy John surgery may be needed. And the outing of last night do not give much hope for the near future.
One last positive note: The RailRiders won the game 9-6.
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