Two Weeks Down, Many More to Go
The Yankees are 11-games into the 2010 season, and the team is a solid 8-3 on the year (check out the poll at the bottom of the post). This is their best start since 2003 when they started 9-2, and on top of their stellar start from a standings viewpoint, they have won the first 4 series of the season. This has not been done by a Yankees team since 1926. This is extremely impressive considering all 4 series were played against playoff potential teams (Red Sox; Rays; Angels; Rangers). As of today, the Yankees are tied for 1st place with the Tampa Bay Rays, while the team looks to close out their series with the Rangers this afternoon with a victory to cap off a sweep. This early season success can be attributed to clutch hitting by the bottom half of the Yankees line-up, while their pitching staff has been nothing short of brilliant. This isn’t to say that there aren’t a few ‘bad apples’ in the bunch. Javy Vazquez is off to a very poor start in the Bronx, posting an 0-2 record with a dismal 9.82 ERA in 11 innings pitched. He has allowed 14 hits and 12 earned runs in those 11 innings. I am not jumping off the Javy wagon yet… it’s only been 2 starts and there is still a lot of baseball to be played. I found it very disheartening hearing Yankees fans booing Vazquez after his last outing when Girardi pulled him in his first start in the Bronx. I’m sorry, but it’s the 2nd game of the season and if you expect his ERA to continue to hover around 9.00, then you are rooting for the wrong NY baseball team. Give me a break! Leave the guy alone and let him pitch. If he is 10-15 starts into the season, with an ERA hovering around 9.00, bring out the boo-birds. But really… knock it off… be a fan, not a follower.
From an offensive standpoint, the bottom half of the line-up with the help of Jeter at the top, are tearing the skin off the baseball. Jeter, and the rest of the 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9 hitters are hitting a combined .319 (67-240) entering today’s game. Nick Johnson, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez are hitting an awful .178 (19-107). Despite how awful that batting average is, I would be much more concerned if the rest of the team wasn’t picking them up for their poor performances. Johnson isn’t hitting, but at least he is getting on base. A-Rod is hitting above .200 which should really raise a flag at this point in the season, but the real question mark thus far is Mark Teixeira, but should their really be a question mark? The guy had a horrible April in ’09 and and we all thought it was because A-Rod wasn’t hitting in back of him. Maybe Tex just can’t hit in April. I will be more concerned about Teixeira come mid-May if he still hitting below .200.
All-in-all, it has been an exciting 2 weeks. Granderson is off to a hot start, Pettitte (on the hill today) could be considered the best starter thus far (though Sabathia did flirt with a no-no), and Robbie Cano is off to an incredible start, hitting a solid .356 with 9 RBI’s (even thought Tex and A-rod have not been getting on). I should also make note that as far as A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada are concerned, last season is history! Burnett is off to a 2-0 start, 2.37 ERA, 19 innings pitched, with 13 K’s in 3 starts. In his most recent outing yesterday afternoon, he threw 7 innings of shutout baseball, with 7 strikeouts and looked fantastic on the hill.
Loading ...What are your thoughts on the Yankees first two weeks of the season? Do you think this is a telling sign to the way the rest of the season will play out? I would love to hear your thoughts below.
Photos courtesy of Zimbio.com
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