SEATTLE — At least Aroldis Chapman didn’t blow this one.
But he is still far from right.
The Yankees used Chapman in the lowest of low leverage situations in Tuesday’s 12-1 win over the Mariners and the left-hander was anything from dominant in yet another alarming performance.
His velocity was down — dipping to 94 mph on more than one occasion and loaded the bases on a single and two walks before finally finishing the game without giving up a run.
Aaron Boone said Chapman looked “better” than in his previous recent outings and blamed his inefficiency on the fact he might not have been “reaching back for all his velocity” due to the situation and was instead trying to regain his delivery.
“Hopefully this was a step forward for him,’’ Boone said.
Asked if Chapman would be used as his closer, Boone emphasized the desire to get Chapman in more games, regardless of they score.
“It could be closing or it could be in a different situation,’’ Boone said. “We want to get him locked back in.”
Chapman had given up leads in three consecutive appearances — and had an ERA of 18.90 in his 10 previous outings before Tuesday.
Boone said he still believes they can get an effective Chapman back if they get his mechanics straightened out.
“It’s as simple as getting him unlocked from a delivery standpoint,’’ Boone said. “Once we get that going, we’re not that far removed from the best Aroldis Chapman we’ve ever seen.”
Chapman shot back at critics on Instagram on Monday night.
“For all those people that criticize my bad moments, I will tell them that I do not know how my story ends, but in its pages you will never read, ‘I gave up,’” Chapman wrote in both English and Spanish. “So I will move on. I still have many wars to win and many mouths to shut up.”
Zack Britton (hamstring) threw another bullpen session that went well, according to Boone, but their bullpen took another hit when Darren O’Day was put on the IL with a left hamstring strain.
The right-hander already has been sidelined this season with a strained rotator cuff. Nick Nelson was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his spot on the roster.
Domingo German blamed his bad last four starts on mechanical issues.
“One of the things that usually gets me in trouble is my balance on the mound,’’ German said through an interpreter. “I’m falling off to one side and that’s what causes my command to not be as good.”
It’s resulted in an ugly stretch for the right-hander, who enters his start on Wednesday having allowed 18 runs — 17 earned — in 15 innings in four outings (9.98 ERA), which brought his season ERA from 3.12 to 4.50.
The Yankees still are awaiting test results to determine the next course of action for Clint Frazier, who is on the IL with vertigo. … Boone said Michael King’s role is “fluid and flexible” at this point after the right-hander made his last appearance out of the bullpen following six consecutive starts. This season, the right-hander is 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA over 24 ²/₃ innings in six starts compared to 0-1 with a 1.90 ERA over 23 ¹/₃ innings in eight relief appearances.
