Yankees’ bats rescue Masahiro Tanaka in win

8:14 PM ET

NEW YORK — Masahiro Tanaka doesn’t seem worried. Neither does his manager, nor his teammates.

But maybe they should be.

Yes, the New York Yankees won their third straight series Sunday, in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-5. Carlos Beltran clubbed his 400th career home run, and Chase Headley delivered a pinch-hit RBI double that put them in front for good.

But Tanaka pitched poorly for the second outing in a row. And that is something this team simply cannot afford.

“His stuff again was not sharp — I didn’t think his split was sharp today,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I thought his slider was pretty good, and I think it was the opposite last time.

“He struggled, but he kept us in the game.”

Masahiro Tanaka struggled to get through five innings on Sunday but the Yankees’ offense bailed him out in a 7-5 victory. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Tanaka needed 102 pitches just to navigate through five innings, giving up four runs and eight hits, plus three walks.

He exited with the Yankees trailing 4-3 but was bailed out by Beltran’s two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth.

The bats also came to Tanaka’s rescue this past Tuesday, when the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 10-7. …

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