Lineup Vs. Lefties Still Needs Work

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Despite having two consecutive games rained out in the middle of a major offensive outburst, the Yankees didn't miss too many beats this past weekend against Baltimore, winning the series and continuing the positive trends that we started to see last week.  Their top two starting pitchers each threw their best games to date on Friday and Sunday, combining to allow just 1 ER in 17 IP; they continued to get production from their collection of new guys as their injured lineup core mends; Robinson Cano and Kevin Youkilis continued to pace the middle of the lineup with patience and power, and even Brett Gardner started to show some signs of life at the plate.

There is still one key area on this team that needs to be addressed, however, and that's the lineup against lefties.  It hasn't gotten much attention lately as the Yankees have faced a long string of right-handed pitchers, but against Wei-Yin Chen last night Joe made wholesale changes to his lineup card to try and generate some more offense and, save for one inning, his changes didn't lead to much.

Hughes' Inability To Pitch Inside Isn't Doing Him Any Favors

(Pretty sure it's not the ball, buddy.  Courtesy of the AP)

For a season that's only two weeks and eleven games old, it's already been an incredibly trying one for Phil Hughes.  After losing a lot of ST time due to another back issue, Hughes returned to the rotation a week ago Saturday and got touched up pretty good by the Tigers.  He made his second start this past Saturday, in place of Andy Pettitte after being skipped over for the top of the rotation after the rain-outs in Cleveland, and turned in an even worse performance, one of the worst outings of his career.

After picking out the flaws in Hughes' approach in 2012, I thought he would be able to turn things around this season if he improved his fastball command and cut down on his early-count fastball usage in favor of his offspeed stuff to keep hitters off balance.  Not only has he failed to do that through his first two starts of this season, he added another frustrating wrinkle to his game on Saturday when he failed to pitch inside effectively to either right or left-handed hitters.

Andy's Back Acting Up, Next Start Pushed Back To Friday

(Courtesy of the AP)

While the inclement weather in Cleveland did allow the Yankees to move back to the top of their starting rotation this weekend, they still ended up having to do some juggling when Andy Pettitte's back started bothering him.  On Friday it was announced that his back had stiffened up on him during his last start and he was pushed back to Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and then yesterday afternoon Joe announced that Andy will be moved back to Friday of this week to make sure his back has all the time it needs to get right.

For a rotation that started the season with health concerns at the top in CC and the bottom in Phil, this minor setback with Andy comes as a bummer.  He had been the team's best starter through the first two rotation turns, and the importance of keeping older starters like him and Kuroda healthy this season has been repeatedly stated.  It's for that exact reason that this decision by the Yankees is the right one.  The off-day today allows them to push Andy back a few extra days without having to use a 6th starter and without having to juggle any other pitchers around.  Using those few extra days to make sure this back issue stays a minor one is the smart move to keep Andy feeling good and pitching well in the long run.

Game 11 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 BAL 0

(#PowerSwing.  Courtesy of the AP)

The recent offensive turnaround may or may not have been triggered by a long run of games against right-handed pitchers, which gave Joe the opportunity to establish some consistency in his lineup cards.  The offense was held relatively in check in Saturday afternoon's loss and got juggled against lefty Wei-Yin Chen in last night's series finale.  Ben Francisco was back in the DH spot, Brennan Boesch got the start in right field over Ichiro, and Joe put Vernon Wells in the 2-spot in the lineup to bump Robbie and Youkilis back down to their regular spots.  How did it all work out?  Just well enough to win with the way Hiroki was dealing.

Game Notes:

- Both teams were swinging early and often through 2 innings, helping to keep the game scoreless and Hiroki Kuroda's pitch count down.  He was working the sinker and splitter, and looked to have good command of both pitches early.

- Kuroda gave up a hit here and there, but he was fully in control through 5.  He ended the 3rd with a perfectly-induced double play ball and got big strikeouts to finish off the 4th and 5th.

- Boesch was the Yankee offense early, with 2 singles in his first 2 at-bats.  He came around to score on a single and a pair of sac flies by Overbay and Jayson Nix to smallball the first run onto the scoreboard.

- In a classic "who woulda thunk it?" moment, the inning went from a small victory to a big one when Brett Gardner took the first pitch he saw in his 2-out AB and hit it off the upper deck section of the foul pole in right for a 2-run homer and a 3-0 Yankee lead.

- 3 runs was all Kuroda would need as he breezed through the next 2 innings with more sliders and only 1 baserunner, and then worked around a pair of errors in the 8th and 9th to close out his own shutout.

- Mo was up in the 'pen in the 9th but was never needed.  Kuroda deserved to get the chance to finish the game and Joe let him do it.

Teix Not Cleared To Swing This Weekend

We heard some rumors earlier in the week that Mark Teixeira could be cleared to start swinging a bat again as he continues to rehab his injured wrist sheath.  Those rumors turned out to be just that, as Teix was not cleared by team doctors during his scheduled check-up on Friday.

Via Matt Ehalt of ESPN NY, Teix said there was nothing negative with the results of the check-up, and doctors were "very happy with how it looked," but that they felt a little more time to let the wrist get stronger would probably be the best thing for Teixeira.  This news puts Teix's chances of making it back by his originally stated May 1st date highly unlikely, but a mid-to-late May return was always the more realistic timeline.  Even if it takes longer than that, I'd be OK with it if it means his wrist is going to be 100% when he comes back.

Game 10 Wrap-Up: BAL 5 NYY 3

(Courtesy of US Presswire)

With a little help from the rest of the scuffling division, the Yankees carried their 4-game, 6-day winning streak to the top of the AL East after CC's gem on Friday night.  They came into yesterday's afternoon game looking to take sole possession of that division lead and keep the winning streak going, with Phil Hughes taking the bump to try to get it done.  Like Ivan Nova, Hughes struggled in his first start of the season, and with a lot to prove this year he can't afford to have too many duds.  After yesterday's performance, he REALLY can't afford to have another dud because he was just awful.

Game Notes:

- Hughes was in trouble right off the bat in the top of the 1st, giving up a leadoff double and allowing it to come around to score after a couple of walks.

- That trouble continued in the 2nd when he gave up a solo HR to Ryan Flaherty to make it 2-0 O's, and the damage was only limited by a nice relay throw to nail a runner at the plate for the final out.

- The offense tried to help Hughes out in the bottom of the 2nd, when Travis Hafner led off with his third homer of the year and Francisco Cervelli came home to score on a 2-out Lyle Overbay single to tie the game at 2.

- But Hughes gave it right back in the 3rd, giving up a leadoff HR to Nick Markakis and another run on 2 more hits.  Hughes wasn't locating his fastball well on the outside, and the O's were squaring him up every way imaginable.

- Another leadoff HR in the 4th and a follow-up double ended Hughes' day after just 3+ innings.  David Phelps came on in relief and did an excellent job keeping the Yankees close, but Hughes' poor outing left them in a hole they were unable to climb out of.

- Vernon Wells hit a solo HR of his own, his third of the young season, to make the game interesting, but the Yanks left 2 on base in the bottom of the 8th to end the final real threat.

Can Eduardo Nunez Catch A Break?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Maybe?  Would that be too much to ask?  Dude finally seems to put it together with his throwing in the spring and gets the starting shortstop job dumped in his lap after Jeter's ankle setback.  He plays some good ball in the first few games, then gets hit with a pitch in the chest and has to miss one.  He comes back and struggles in the next few games and then gets hit with another pitch last night, knocking him out of the game and out of today's lineup with a bruised right wrist.

Once again, X-rays were negative and Nunez is being listed as day-to-day.  Per Chad Jennings' pregame notes, Joe said he doesn't expect Nunez back in the lineup until Tuesday at the earliest.  That's better news than what it could have been, as it was after the first HBP, but you gotta feel for Nunez a little bit with the tough start he's had.  He finally gets a chance to show he can be a productive everyday shortstop and he's getting knocked out of games left and right with HBPs.  The last thing the Yankees need is more banged up regulars, so hopefully these few days off are enough to get Nunez's wrist back to full strength.

Game 9 Wrap-Up: NYY 5 BAL 2

Weather has been wreaking havoc on the Yankees the past few days in Cleveland, so it was good for them to get out of there and get back home.  One positive thing the weather did do for them, however, was allow them to skip back to the top of their rotation for this weekend's series against division rival Baltimore.  They sent CC Sabathia out last night for his first start against the O's since Game 5 of last year's ALDS and he was every bit as dominant as he was on that night as he continues to work himself into top pitching shape.  I didn't watch, follow, or read a thing about this game so we're just skipping to the awards.

Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 4/12/13

It's a dead zone out there in TV land right now.  "Justified," "The Walking Dead," and "Archer" all had their seasons end within two weeks of each other, and the start of a new "Mad Men" season isn't enough to fill the void for me.  I've been watching "The Following," but over the past few weeks it's turned more into watching for all the ridiculous plot holes and bad law enforcement work by the FBI rather than the overall show quality, kinda like the last few seasons of "24."  Anybody got some recommendations for good shows that are worth checking out?  Keep in mind that I don't have HBO, show "Game Of Thrones" is out the window. I know, I know, I'm cheap.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, George S. of Gutty Gritty Yankees lamented Rob Thomson's tendency to send runners from third in situations that don't call for it.  Good observation from George, as this current lineup can ill afford to take runs off the scoreboard.

- William Juliano of The Captain's Blog put together the most comprehensive list to date of John Sterling's home run calls from the past 10+ seasons.  There's nothing else I can say to sell that link better than it already sells itself.

- On Tuesday, Egon Spengler of NoMaas had some fun with the early SSS season stats, an activity that I consider an early-season pastime as well.

- Rich Kaufman of Bronx Pinstripes commented on the changes Vernon Wells has made to his approach at the plate.

- On Wednesday, Mike Eder of IIATMS/TYA pointed out the changes in Cito Culver's swing mechanics this year that have him hitting better than he ever has.  Mike did something similar for Dante Bichette, Jr. on Tuesday.

- Steven Goldman of Pinstriped Bible wisely discussed Joe's decision to continue to split playing time between the Stewvelli catching tandem despite Cervelli's hot start.

- On Thursday, Chad Jennings of LoHud had the latest news on Mark Teixeira's recovery progress.  Good to know Teix is going to start swinging again.

- El duque of It Is High... mused on the still uncertain offensive identity of this current roster.  I'll just take runs any way I can get them.

- Joe Pawlikowski of RAB examined some new defensive metrics for measuring catchers and how the Chrisisco Stewvelli tandem stacks up in those metrics.

- Hunter Farman of Yanks Go Yard tried to explain the recent power surge from the lineup.  I say just enjoy it while it lasts.

- On Friday, Bryan Van Dusen of The Greedy Pinstripes put the hot starts of the new middle of the order in the proper perspective by projecting their performance moving forward.

- Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily interviewed Ben Gamel, underrated OF prospect currently playing at High-A Tampa.  Very timely interview given Gamel's hot start to the MiL season.

- SG of RLYW broke down the hitting projections to see what kind of rotation the Yanks might put in place in the outfield when C-Grand returns.

This week's Friday Jam is the new QOTSA track that was released this week, "My God Is The Sun."  If you didn't see this coming, you either aren't a regular AB4AR reader or you don't appreciate my taste in music.  Either way, you're missing out because this song is straight hot fire.  Between the new AIC album coming out at the end of May and the new QOTSA album coming out the week after, there's going to be a lot of good early summer tuneage.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Back-To-Back Rain Outs Kinda Suck

Axisa already beat me to it, but obviously back-to-back postponements in Cleveland the last two nights are going to pose some problems for the Yankees as they move forward through what is still a very long season ahead.  The team was only scheduled to make this one road trip to Cleveland this season, and now they'll have to chew up two scheduled off-days to make the trek back out to complete these games.  For an older team like the Yankees, off-days are an incredibly valuable resource and it will not be helpful losing two of them sometime in the middle of the grind.

It's not all bad news, though.  This second canceled game allows the Yankees to put their rotation back in its original order if they choose.  Phil Hughes will be skipped today so that CC, Hirok, and Andy can stay on schedule and pitch against Baltimore this weekend, then after a scheduled off-day on Monday they can come back with Nova and Hughes.  Personally, I hope that's the route they choose because I think it's important to give Nova at least another couple of starts before pulling the plug.

The rescheduling battle still has to be fought at a later date, and Mike had an idea for what scenario would work best for New York, but at least the bad weather combined the Yanks' resulting rotation juggling hasn't resulted in too much of a shakeup in that department.

Nova's Rotation Spot Already On Shaky Ground

(Forever alone.  Courtesy of the AP)

I have to admit, I was a little surprised to read that the Yankees are planning on skipping Ivan Nova in the rotation tonight after last night's rain-out in order to keep Phil Hughes and the rest of the rotation on schedule.  On the surface it makes sense to want to keep everybody else on their routine or as close to it as possible, but shouldn't that logic apply to Nova as well?  And if you really stop and think about it, wouldn't an extra day or two of rest be a good thing for a "still kinda recovering from elbow surgery" CC Sabathia and older pitchers like Kuroda and Pettitte?

To me, this decision to skip Nova and keep everyone else on schedule at his expense is a sign that the coaching staff is not as confident in Nova as they are the rest of the group right now.  After a strong start to his spring camp, Nova's final two starts were similar to many of his 2012 outings were he got knocked around.  His first regular season start wasn't much better, so based on a sample size of over a full season's worth of starts it would make sense for Nova to be on a short leash.

Still, the quick-trigger timing of this skip over is puzzling.  It would be one thing if this were September and the Yankees wanted to keep their best pitchers lined up to face teams they were competing against for a playoff spot.  That's hardly the case eight games into the season, which leads me to believe Nova is already in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.  He needs to come up with a much better performance in his next start, whenever that may be, to establish some control over that spot.

Why Is Brennan Boesch Getting Work At First Base?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

And why are all my Brennan Boesch-based posts titled in the form of a question?  Last week it was wondering how and if Joe was planning on using Boesch at all after he didn't get much burn in the first few games.  This week it's trying to figure out what the rationale is in Boesch getting worked out at first base before the last few games.  He's never played a game at first in his professional career, and according to Boesch he hasn't played it since high school.  The Yankees, even with Teix out of the picture for the near future, are pretty well covered at first right now with Lyle Overbay and Kevin Youkilis, and there are a few other guys on the roster who make more sense as an emergency option over Boesch.  So why look to add another body to the position so early in the season?  And why Boesch?

Sherman Reports What Any Smart Person Already Knew About The Ichiro Deal

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

In a blog post yesterday discussing the Yankees' outfield situation, Joel Sherman dropped this juicy little note about the decision to re-sign Ichiro Suzuki this past offseason:

"There was not unanimity in the Yankees front office about bringing back Ichiro Suzuki, specifically on a two-year contract. In fact, there were executives who would have preferred to see that money (two years at $12 million) directed to Russell Martin instead."

Sherman also wrote that the "top of the Yankees hierarchy" demanded that Ichiro be re-signed after his strong finish to last season, and if you start to put those pieces together it starts to look like this was another "Cashman vs. Ownership" front office battle in which Cash came out on the losing side.

More after the jump.

Yanks Making A Lot Of 2-Out Hay To Fuel Their Offensive Breakout

(Mr. Clutch?  Courtesy of the AP)

If you think back to the painful times of last September and October, you'll remember that one of the Yankees' biggest problems offensively was their inability to hit with RISP or string together multiple hits to keep rallies going.  That's what led to so many games being closer than they should have been and it's what eventually sunk them when they ran into Detroit's pitching buzzsaw in the ALCS.  With the bulk of the lineup's power on the shelf or in other uniforms, and their replacements being of similar "all or nothing" offensive makeup, I was counting on that frustrating trend continuing in the early part of this season.  That hasn't been the case in these last three games, as timely hitting has been at the forefront of this current offensive explosion.

Injury Updates: Jeter & C-Grand

The slow and steady work back from the disabled list continues for the Yankees' gaggle of walking wound.  Chad Jennings of LoHud had the latest on Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson's progress yesterday afternoon:

- Jeter returned to running the bases yesterday, not at full speed of course, and also hit in the cage and took some groundballs.  That's positive progress from where he was last week, but it's still coming at a snail's pace.  I'm putting my money on sometime in the fourth week of May.

- Granderson, who has spent the last week or so shagging flies, was cleared to begin swinging a bat this week and he'll do so in a pool to lessen the stress on his forearm.  Still no definite timetable for C-Grand either, but mid-to-late May looks like a fair bet right now.

Well Howdaya Like Them Apples?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Baseball really is a funny game.  It's one of the few sports where just a few days or a few games can make all the difference in the world.  And as much as we're taught to not put a ton of weight into small sample sizes when evaluating stats, it is one of the few sports where sometimes a small sample size can tell you exactly what you need to know.  Less than three full days ago the Yankees were 1-4, looking flat and old as flat and old can be, and facing the best pitcher in the American League as they tried to avoid getting swept out of Detroit.  This morning they find themselves 4-4, having vanquished said best pitcher on their way to two consecutive road routes, and having scored 32 runs in their last three after scoring just 17 total in their first five.

Game 8 Wrap-Up: NYY 14 CLE 1

(Cano, so hot right now.  Cano.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

I don't consider two straight wins a winning streak.  I know a lot of people do, but that just seems a little aggressive to me.  The Yankees had two straight wins to their credit heading into last night's game, and they had the chance to make it three and make it a legitimate winning streak in my eyes.  They had the right pitcher on the mound to get it done in Andy Pettitte, who was hands down the best starter the first trip through the rotation, and the right offensive trends to get it done after putting up 18 runs in the previous two games.  Both of those things combined in the perfect way and this baby was over early.

Game Notes:

- Brett Gardner started a rally in the top of the 1st that got killed by a Travis Hafner GIDP.  In the 2nd, Gardner cashed in a 2-out rally with a big 2-run single to give the Yanks an early lead.  The suddenly red-hot Robinson Cano followed up with a 2-run double and they were off and running.

- Andy was on the money early, retiring 5 in a row on groundballs through 2.  His pitches had good life, and he was mixing them well again to get around a few walks and keep the Indians scoreless through 4.

- I don't know how he did it, but Robbie went from ice cold to molten hot in like 5 at-bats.  He hit a 2-run HR to left in the top of the 4th to make it 7-0 and the rout was on.

- Sadly, Cano wasn't able to come through in his next AB in the top of the 6th.  But Kevin Youkilis did, hitting a 2-run HR of his own to score Gardner for a third time and make it a 9-0 game.

- Andy had a heat check in the bottom of the 6th after he tried to challenge Asdrubal Cabrera with a first-pitch fastball down the middle and lost, but he got it back together and went K, K, groundout to end the 7th in style.

- Just to make sure there was no doubt, the offense chipped in more runs in the 8th on a Lyle Overbay solo HR and an RBI double by Cano ...

- ... And another 2-run HR by the pinch hitting Brennan Boesch ...

- ... And an RBI single by Francisco Cervelli in the 9th.

- Oh yeah, Adam Warren came on for mop-up duty to end the game and handled the task without issue.

Cano Puts Teams On Notice With Yesterday's Swings

What was that I was saying about Robbie yesterday?

"To say that he's weak hitting the ball to left, however, would be a mistake and there's every reason to believe that Cano can make the necessary adjustment to combat this new approach."

Oh that's right.  Something about Cano being one of the best hitters in the game and being more than capable of beating the new approach of pitching him away if opposing teams stuck with it.  How'd that work out for Cleveland pitching yesterday?

Early Bullpen Struggles Bring Questionable Roster Decisions Into Light

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

The bullpen was supposed to be a strength again this year.  The Yankees came into Spring Training with the core seven guys all but guaranteed roster spots, or so we thought.  As injuries in other parts of the roster mounted, and the resulting personnel moves to cover them created a 40-man roster crunch, some of those spots became less of a guarantee, and at the end of camp there was more than a bit of surprise when David Aardsma and Clay Rapada were DFA'd.  Their back end bullpen spots were given to Shawn Kelley and Cody Eppley, with Adam Warren making the cut as well as long man coverage for Phil Hughes.  With just seven games in the books, it's hardly an "end of the world" problem, but the poor performance of those late additions and the slightly surprising struggles of Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan has me once again questioning some of those "in/out" roster decisions.

Game 7 Wrap-Up: NYY 11 CLE 6

(All the high fives to this guy.  Courtesy of the AP)

After failing to put up more than 4 runs in each of their first 5 games, the Yankees broke out late against Detroit on Sunday, putting a 7-spot on the scoreboard when all was said and done.  If there was a game where that needed to continue, it was yesterday's game in which Hiroki Kuroda was returning to the mound to make his regularly-scheduled start despite still feeling some numbness in his injured middle finger.  Kuroda was able to get through 5+ innings, while the offense continued to trend in the right direction.

Game Notes:

- No time was wasted in getting to Cleveland starter Ubaldo Jimenez.  With 2 on and 1 out in the top of the 1st, Travis Hafner crushed a 3-run HR to center field and the Yanks led 3-0.

- It was a good thing too because Kuroda struggled in the bottom half.  He gave the 3 runs back on 3 singles, 2 walks, and 2 sac flies, and he certainly looked as though he was having trouble with his injured finger and his command.

- Hafner recaptured the lead in the top of the 3rd with an RBI single to score Robinson Cano, who doubled to lead off the inning.  That was the end of the fireworks for Hafner, but Cano was just getting started.

- After another run on a Brett Gardner ribbie single in the 4th, Cano led off the top of the 5th with a HR to left-center field.  That all but ended Jimenez's day, and probably struck fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers everywhere.

- Cano wasn't done, stroking another solo shot to right in the 6th.  3 more runs tacked on in the 7th gave the Yankee offense 5 straight innings with at least 1 run and an 11-3 lead.

- Kuroda was much sharper in his last couple innings, finding the feel for his sinker and splitter and holding the Indians scoreless until he departed with 1 out in the 6th.

- Shawn Kelley came on and gave up 3 runs in the 8th, which didn't affect the outcome but wasn't encouraging.  Joba followed him up with a scoreless, albeit BB-filled 9th inning.

A Shift In Approach Against Cano

(Courtesy of the AP)

One of the biggest takeaways from Opening Day was the over-exaggerated defensive shift that John Farrell employed against Robinson Cano and the associated "pound him away" pitching strategy that accompanied it.  Both strategic moves were effective, as Cano managed just a measly single up the middle in the series, and I for one was interested to see what Detroit would do against him in the second series of the season.  Cano had a tough finish to his 2012 season, especially against left-handers, and in a league that's becoming increasingly copy cat-ish as more and more variations of statistical analysis become available, perhaps the Fraud Sawx had laid the groundwork for how to handle the one big bat in the current Yankee lineup.

Should Kuroda Be Starting Today If He Isn't 100%?

(Ouch, bro.  Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/Daily News)

It seems like a reasonable question to ask given this comment from Hiroki Kuroda to George King of The NY Post yesterday about his bruised middle finger:

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't bothering me.  At the same time I have to deal with it.''

That statement pretty much answers the, "... if he isn't 100%" part of the question and answers it with a clear answer of "no, he isn't 100%." Which brings me back to the first part of the question.  It's the second turn through the rotation in the seventh game of the season, and Kuroda is being sent out to start with an injury to his pitching hand that caused him to have trouble gripping the ball, locating his pitches, and resulted in his removal from the game last Wednesday.  He's basically admitted that the injury has not fully healed and that he doesn't know how it's going to affect him today.  Does that make anybody else as nervous as it makes me?

I know Kuroda made it through his Friday bullpen without any major issues, and he's got Adam Warren handcuffed to him again, which is probably why Joe and Cash feel comfortable letting him start.  I'd just feel a lot better about skipping Kuroda for a trip and starting Warren if that gives his finger enough time to fully heal.

Game 6 Wrap-Up: NYY 7 DET 0

(Courtesy of the AP)

Small sample size or not, getting swept by the Tigers to finish off a 1-5 start to the season would have been bad news for the Yankees.  They hadn't pitched well coming into yesterday's game, they hadn't hit much better, and to lose again with CC Sabathia on the mound would definitely get the panic meter started.  Fortunately it didn't come to that, as CC was much better than he was on Opening Day and in a very ace-like performance (for all those who still want to argue that he's not) outdueled Justin Verlander to get his team a much-needed win.

Game Notes:

- The bottom of the order got the offense started in the top of the 2nd.  Francisco Cervelli, continuing to tighten his grip on the starting job, hit a 1-out RBI double and then came home on Jayson Nix's, yes that Jayson Nix's, 2-run HR to make it 3-0 Yanks.

- Sabathia was noticeably better than he was last Monday, both in terms of velocity, which was slight up, and command.  He still wasn't in top form, but it was a step in the right direction.

- Through 5 innings, the Tigers had put at least one baserunner on in each inning.  But CC always worked around it, throwing a lot of good sliders and changeups, and never allowed a runner past second base.

- To his credit, Verlander regrouped and held the Yankees scoreless from the 3rd inning through his exit with 1 out in the top of the 8th.  The bullpen took over from there and it all went south for Detroit, once again at the hands of the bottom of the order.

- After a Vernon Wells double put runners on second and third, Ichiro hit a sac fly to score 1 run and Cervelli came up with another big RBI hit to extend the lead to 5-0.  Kevin Youkilis singled in 2 more in the top of the 9th to put the finishing touches on the game.

- D-Rob and Mo haven't gotten a lot of work early, and it showed as each had to work their way around a pair of hits in the 8th in 9th innings.  In typical D-Rob and Mo form, however, they ended each inning with a K.

Game 5 Wrap-Up: DET 8 NYY 4

(Courtesy of the AP)

The first time through the starting rotation hasn't exactly gone the way the Yankees planned or hoped for this season.  CC Sabathia looked very ordinary on Opening Day, Hiroki Kuroda wasn't sharp before leaving with injury, and Ivan Nova looked very similar to what he was last season when he was the worst pitcher on the staff.  Andy Pettitte was the lone beacon of light, and yesterday Phil Hughes returned from his bulging disk to take his spot in the rotation and look to join Andy on the positive side of the pitching ledger.

Game Notes:

-It didn't take long for the offense to get going, with a Vernon Wells solo HR in the top of the 2nd tying the game at 1.  The Yanks got 2 more XBH in the inning, but thanks to Brennan Boesch getting thrown out at the plate they only had the 1 run to show for it.

- Hughes had the same problem that Nova did before him.  His stuff was there, but his command in the zone was iffy at best.  He didn't walk a batter through 4 innings, but did give up 5 hits.

- It call came apart for Hughes in the bottom of the 5th, when he had already thrown 75 pitches.  He gave up a leadoff single to Austin Jackson, a double to Torii Hunter, and a single to Miguel Cabrera to make it 3-1 Detroit and he was done.

- Another great scoring opportunity came in the top of the 6th.  Max Scherzer and his replacement Al Albuquerque walked 4 batters, and a couple big RBI singles by Hafner and Overbay made it a 5-4 game

- .For a second straight day, however, the Yankee bullpen was a huge letdown.  Boone Logan, David Phelps, and Joba Chamberlain combined to allow 4 more runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 4 IP.

Also for a second straight day, the offense went down quietly in the late innings.  They put a few more runners on base than Friday, but still came up scoreless in the final 3 innings.

Status Not Looking Good For Jeter

Derek Jeter said he was going to be ready to start this season.  Both he and the Yankees did everything in their power to try to make that happen.  When his ankle started to act up earlier in spring camp, both he and the team passed it off as a blip on the radar.  Now, on the day he was supposed to be eligible to come off the DL and return to the lineup, Jeter finds himself no closer to coming back than he was when he first went on the DL.

There hasn't been much progress in Jeter's latest attempt to come back, as evidenced by this latest report from Bryan Hoch today.  What Jeter is doing now is the same thing he was doing two months ago when he first really started to get back to baseball activities, and this second go-round with these incredibly watered-down activities is happening at a slower pace than two months ago.  Jeter still isn't taking batting practice, he still isn't taking real fielding practice, and he still can't run the bases.  Those are the three fundamental activities for any baseball player at any position, and the plain fact of the matter is that there's no timetable for when he's going to start doing them again.  I've heard early May thrown around as the new possible return date, but even that looks like a stretch presently.

I said way back in November that I didn't think Jeter was going to be able to make it back in time for Opening Day, and my preference was that he and the team didn't attempt to rush his comeback to make that happen.  They did, it didn't work, and now we don't know when he's going to be back on the field.  Normally I like to puff out my chest and sing my own praises on one of the rare occasions when I'm right.  In this instance, however, I really don't want to.