When Will the Bats Wake Up?

From Bryan Hoch:

“Guys are pitching us tough, but we’re good enough players to hit anybody,” leadoff hitter Johnny Damon, hitting just .111, said after Saturday’s 6-3 loss. “It starts at the top with me, and there are not too many guys hitting right now. Six runs is nothing for our team.”

Still, the Yankees would prefer not to go crazy analyzing their statistical output. The Major Leagues’ most potent lineup from a year ago hasn’t forgotten how to produce runs, so those in the clubhouse believe it is just a matter of time before the bats get going.

“This offense is going to hit,” acting manager Rob Thomson said. “At some point, it’s going to hit. We’ve had some pretty good pitching performances thrown at us. I think the offense is probably the least of our worries.”

Right now the only 2 Yankees that are actually connecting are Abreu and A-Rod. We’ve seen this before, especially when October rolls around (e.g. Detroit, Cleveland). Last year, the primary issue was health and being in shape, and we know that the Yankees are healthy (other than Giambi as of now) and physically capable to make something happen. It’s basically a matter of time before the offense clicks and starts hitting anything and everything (tomorrow?). I do agree with Damon to a degree, though. The Yankees have faced tough pitchers last series and this series. People may say, “hey these are the Rays” and “who’s this Jackson guy,” but Jackson has great stuff and Sonnanstine is a good control pitcher, who specializes in keeping the ball down and low in the zone. It’s a tough way to start the season. Look at the Red Sox or Detroit, who are facing similar issues.

If this is one of their (the Yankees) patented offensive swoons, then I’m glad that it’s at the beginning of the regular season and not at the beginning of the postseason. That’s all that matters and I wouldn’t worry too much about losing 2 to the Rays.

Doesn’t Really Feel That Way

Although Andy Pettitte gave up 5 runs in his debut (only 3 ER), I really don’t feel like this article does his performance any justice. The title, “Andy Pettitte Shelled in Debut” just doesn’t seem correct to me, but then again it (the title) is only supposed to catch a reader’s eye, and not provide them any real information. I mean, he did give up that big blast to Gomes, but other than that he looked pretty solid considering his tough offseason and his recent back spasm woes.

My Slumps, My Lovely Lady Team Slumps

The offense looked horrendous today as the Yankees continue to be grounded by a collective slump. Nobody is hitting much of anything and the Yanks should have gotten to Jackson multiple times throughout the game. They had him on the ropes a bit and the big hit(s) just never came (or, at least a small string of rbi’s would have been nice). I think the Yankees can still split the series, especially with Wang up tomorrow (Shields is a good pitcher though) and Hammel up on Monday, the Yankees can still be in good shape come Tuesday when they face the Kansas City Royals, which would set them up for a series that they should certainly feel confident about.

Couple notes about the game:

• Jason Giambi injured his groin today. The severity of the injury is not thought to be serious and he is considered to be day-to-day. We’ll see if he plays in tomorrow’s game.
• Joe Girardi is still out with that respiratory infection. Hopefully we’ll see him tomorrow and maybe he’ll be able to snap his team out of its funk (somehow, some way).
• Robinson Cano needs to employ some more discipline at the plate. Granted, it’s very early in the season but he’s swinging at balls that are high and away with an alarming frequency.
• Last but not least, how many times will I have to hear about how bad John Flaherty is with the bat throughout this season? It’s funny sometimes when it’s out of nowhere, but today when he told Ken Singleton about how bad he was, he sounded like a grown man that was about to cry and it seemed rather uncomfortable for everyone in the booth. We get it John, you are not an offensive superstar. You don’t have to tell us, we witnessed it firsthand. 

Game 2: Yanks VS. Rays

Andy Pettitte gets his first start of the season. Here are the lineups (Via RAB):

Yankees
Damon CF
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Giambi DH
Cano 2B
Posada C
Matsui LF
Duncan 1B

Pettitte LHP

Rays
Iwamura 2B
Crawford LF
Pena 1B
Upton CF
Gomes RF
Aybar 3B
Bartlett SS
Riggans C
Johnson DH

Jackson RHP

Sorry about the late post (It’s only around 10 AM here in Seattle and you know I love my sleep on the weekends). The game is already under way (top of the 2nd) and the Yanks are winning 1-0 thanks to an A-Rod RBI double. Pettitte’s looking good so far and he’s throwing strikes.

UDPATE (1:47) — Johnny Gomes, if you want to help your team, maybe you should run hard when you hit the ball and catch fly balls when they’re hit to you. That entire Shelley shoulder block episode means nothing to your team especially if you’re looking like a high school kid on the field.

UDPATE (2:07) — Okay Mr. Gomes, well played. Pettitte pitched a nice game despite the 5 runs and he should feel pretty good about himself. Bruney just pitched a scoreless inning and now it’s up to the stagnant Yankee offense to make some magic happen in the bottom of the 6th.

Kennedy Will Be Fine

From Tyler Kepner:

In one rough outing, Kennedy’s career earned run average spiked to 4.22 from 1.89. Asked when he had endured a worse game, Kennedy mentioned a day in the Hawaiian Winter League, before the 2007 season, when he got four outs and allowed eight runs.

Kennedy answered a few more questions, but then steered the conversation back to that game in Hawaii. He had a point to make.

“By the way, the next time I faced that team, after I gave up eight in an inning and a third in Hawaii?” Kennedy said. “I faced them again and I only gave up two hits.”

I wouldn’t worry about Ian Kennedy. These are just those famous growing pains that everyone talks about when you’re dealing with young pitchers. He told Kepner that he’s eager to pitch again and prove to people what he’s truly capable of, and I’m sure that he’ll eventually do that.