By Vincent Mercogliano
The first week of baseball season has come and gone, and like most teams, the New York Yankees still have many unanswered questions. The fast start that most were hoping for under new manager Joe Girardi has not quite materialized. While the pitching has had some early success, offensively, the Yanks have left much to be desired. Girardi made the team concentrate more on conditioning in spring training than previous manager Joe Torre in hopes of avoiding another slow start to the season. Thus far the bats have been uncharacteristically quiet, but with over 150 games remaining, the Yankees still have plenty of time to find their stroke.
The pitching has surprisingly been the strength of the team in the first week of the season. Early back trouble caused Andy Pettitte to have his first start pushed back, but the fact that he was able to pitch on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays should ease Yankee fans’ concerns. Aside from rookie Ian Kennedy’s shaky outing on Friday night against the Rays in which the team surrendered 13 runs, the Yankees have been involved in low-scoring affairs.
An impressive two outings from staff ace Chien-Ming Wang, as well as one by 21-year-old Phil Hughes against the Toronto Blue Jays have been reasons for optimism. Wang suffered from a terrible postseason performance against the Cleveland Indians last October and had certain people questioning his ability to bounce back, but Wang has only allowed two runs in 13 innings pitched and picked up two victories in one week. He seems be on track to reach 19 wins for the third consecutive season.
Hughes has been one of the organization’s most highly-anticipated prospects in recent years and he showed why in his first start of season. Against the rival Blue Jays he threw six strong innings, allowing only two runs. With this being Hughes’ first full season in the majors, the organization has a legitimate reason to be excited for their young starter’s future.
The bullpen for the team has also been reliable so far, excluding the debacle on Friday night perpetrated in large part by newcomer LaTroy Hawkins and veteran Kyle Farnsworth. Farnsworth lost the trust of Yankee fans a long time ago, and Hawkins seems to be in the doghouse already after choosing to wear former World Champion Yankee Paul O’Neill’s number 21. Hawkins surrendered six runs in the eighth inning against the Rays, placing his ERA at this early junction of the season at 31.50. Not quite the start to his Yankee career that he had hoped for.
The young arms in the Yankee pen though have been impressive. Right-handers Ross Ohlendorf and Brian Bruney have looked sharp, leading many to believe the only reason Farnsworth and Hawkins receive more late game innings is because of the size of their contracts. Lefty-specialist Billy Traber has also shown the ability to get tough left-handed hitters out.
The eighth and ninth innings have not been this secure for the Yankees since the late 90’s. Rookie sensation Joba Chamberlain has looked great in his set-up role, and closer Mariano Rivera has notched three saves already. It would be a very tough decision for Girardi to break up this tandem and place Chamberlain in the starting rotation if they continue to be this effective.
While pitching has kept the Yankees in games, the offense has not made it easy on them. Through seven games the team is only averaging 3.3 runs per game. This is a step back for an offense that led the majors in runs scored last season and returns virtually the same lineup.
Right fielder Bobby Abreu has been one of the few bright spots in the lineup thus far; he was a double shy of the cycle Monday night against the Rays. But many of the Yankees have struggled, particularly left fielder Johnny Damon and second basemen Robinson Cano. It will be especially crucial for Damon to heat up because Girardi is relying on him at the top of the order to set the table for the sluggers behind him.
The lineup did show signs of life on Monday in the final game of their four-game set with the Rays, which might have begun to get the offense back on track. The key will be hitting with runners in scoring position; something the team has done ineffectively in the first week.
With many, many weeks to go in this still adolescent season, there is no reason to hit the panic button anytime soon.
If at the end of the month the Yankees are still averaging three runs a game, then Girardi might begin to break a sweat.
In the meantime he has to be encouraged by his team’s pitching; especially after a strong outing from the team’s elder statesman Mike Mussina on Monday.
And he has to feel confident if he has a lead going into the eighth with the Joba-Mo combo looming.
Heading into the team’s first road series against the Kansas City Royals, followed by a trip to Fenway Park, the team must hope shortstop Derek Jeter’s thigh strain that he suffered on Monday will not become a lingering issue.
In the meantime, Girardi should consider giving his young arms from the pen more critical innings if Farnsworth and Hawkins continue to struggle.
The offense must be expected to produce more, and if the pitching continues to hold up yet the team does not win, A-Rod and Company will only have themselves to blame.