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Five decades old, Pocono Downs keeping up pace

<p>Even all-star pitchers come down to earth. Some of them fall harder than others.</p><p>For Chris Capuano, things have gotten so nightmarish this season that the Yankees recently decided to cut ties with the 36-year-old pitcher.</p><p>The left-hander had a brilliant start to his Major League career after breaking in with Arizona in 2003. From there, Capuano went on to pile up 35 wins in three season with Milwaukee including an 18-win campaign in 2005 when he led the National League in 35 games started and was fourth in wins. Also included in that span, he was his first and only selection to the All-Star Game in 2006.</p><p>The 11-year Major League veteran was hit with injuries following a 12-loss 2007 season and didn&#8217;t get back to action in the Big Leagues until 2010.</p><p>He then got back on track and had several more years of success with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers where he averaged nearly 10 wins a season in his first seven years in the Majors.</p><p>A few mediocre seasons, followed before Capuano signed with the Yankees in 2014 where again he didn&#8217;t dazzle, but was still serviceable as a 35-year-old starter.</p><p>And then the 2015 season hit and Capuano has not been himself. He struggled to an ERA just south of 7.00 in 16 appearances for New York. After his last outing when he gave up five runs and got just two outs on a start at Texas, the Yankees saw enough and designated him for assignment.</p><p>&#8220;You have to have a short memory in this game; it&#8217;s a humbling game,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Sometimes it can really knock you down, but you have to be resilient, have to bounce back and just stay positive, stay on the attack so that&#8217;s kinda what I&#8217;ve been focused on doing.&#8221;</p><p>After clearing waivers, Capuano was outrighted to the RailRiders and has since started to get back on track as he tries to make enough improvements so that he can get back to the Majors.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just hoping to get back into a consistent routine, which I&#8217;m doing and just hope to really get back a good feel for my pitches and location,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And just try to keep having fun.&#8221;</p><p>Capuano got a late start to his 2015 season as he recovered from a groin injury. But when he got back to action, Capuano started off in the Yankees rotation and had his pitch count near 90. But not long after that, he was sent to the bullpen and didn&#8217;t see much work. After pitching 12 innings in May as a starter in three starts, Capuano pitched just 13 innings in June over seven appearances.</p><p>July was even more sporadic as he went 16 days without seeing action in one span and only registered a total of five innings of work in the month.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a great group up there in New York, a great team to be on, great team chemistry,&#8221; Capuano said. &#8220;But I haven&#8217;t quite had regular work. I&#8217;ve had long layoffs between outings and just wasn&#8217;t real sharp the last couple times I went out there.&#8221;</p><p>Getting in a routine is key for any baseball player, moreso for pitchers as getting out of their daily schedule can effect everything, especially for a veteran who&#8217;s been set in a certain way for so long.</p><p>His pitch count has increased while in the RailRiders rotation and he&#8217;s trying to return to form.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great to just come here and have the chance to pitch, get back to basics and just try to have fun with the game,&#8221; he said.</p><p>In a season when the Yankees have made so many roster moves, if Capuano can rediscover his form, he could find himself back with the Yankees.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Left-hander Chris Capuano seen walking to the dugout from the bullpen before a recent game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas as a Yankee, is looking for more consistency with the RailRiders. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Yankees-Rangers-Baseb_Rose-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Left-hander Chris Capuano seen walking to the dugout from the bullpen before a recent game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas as a Yankee, is looking for more consistency with the RailRiders. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Yankees-Rangers-Baseb_Rose.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chris Capuano, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees recently, is trying to get back to doing what made him successful earlier in his career. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_Yankees-Rangers-Baseb_Rose.jpg</photo1><caption1>Chris Capuano, who was designated for assignment by the Yankees recently, is trying to get back to doing what made him successful earlier in his career. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Veteran Major Leaguer returning to basics with RailRiders</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>drosengrant@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Capuano getting back on track