Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Game 1 Wrap-Up: BOS 8 NYY 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

It's difficult to find too many positive things to say about yesterday's Opening Day loss.  All the negative things about this team were on display offensively and CC Sabathia, in his first start back from offseason elbow surgery, wasn't particularly sharp against the righty-heavy Bahhston lineup.  That being said, it was just 1 game out of 162 and there's a long way to go before anybody starts freaking out.  If you were unable to join the fun during yesterday's live blog, here's what you missed.

Game Notes:

- CC was his typical early April self yesterday.  His fastball velocity wasn't much, his location was inconsistent, and he wasn't able to make the few pitches he needed to limit damage.  A liner that glanced off Jayson Nix's glove and a few well-placed singles into the holes at short and second led to 4 Fraud Sawck runs in the 2nd, and that was all they would need.

- The offense did their best to chip in, making Jon Lester work in his 5 innings.  They put a runner on base in each of the first 4 innings, but it wasn't until Francisco Cervelli hit a 2-run single with 2 outs in the 4th that they got on the board.

- Sabathia settled down a bit through the 3rd and 4th innings, then got into trouble again in the 5th after giving up a double and a couple walks (one intentional).  He worked out of it and his day was over after 5 IP, 4 ER, and 102 pitches.

- The best chance the offense had was in the 7th, when both Cervelli and Brett Gardner reached with leadoff walks.  They stayed where they were, though, as Bahhston pitching mowed down Eduardo Nunez, Robinson Cano, and Kevin Youkilis in order to end the threat.

- Tough day for the Yankee bullpen.  David Phelps gave up a run on a hit and 2 walks, and Joba Chamberlain unraveled after not getting a close strike call and allowed 3 more runs on 3 hits and 2 more walks to put the game out of reach in the top of the 9th.

F*ck Yeahs:

- Cervelli: 1-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB.  Looked cool and calm at the plate and equally cool and calm behind it catching CC.

- Youkilis: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K, 4 LOB.  Not the best batting line ever, but Youkilis saw the ball well and made solid contact on the 3 balls he put in play.  He was also very good defensively at both infield corners.

Oh Nos:

- Joba: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.  The stuff was there (mid-90s fastball, mid-to-high 80s slider) but the command wasn't.  As long as he's been around, Joba can't fall apart the way he did after not getting a call.

- Ichiro Suzuki: 1-4, 2 LOB.  He singled to load the bases in the 4th, but his hit failed to score a run with RISP, something the Yanks need to do better this season.  And he only saw 8 pitches in 4 PA.  I know he's not the most patient cat in the world, but take a fucking pitch, Ichiro.

Next Up:

Scheduled off day today so some other teams can get their Opening Day shine.  Hiroki Kuroda and Clay Buchholz will take the mound on Wedneday in game two of this 3-game series.

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