By Mike Murabito, Staff Writer
So much for slow starts. The New York Yankees have picked up right where they left off, jumping out to a 9-3 record. Everything seems to be going the Bombers way as they have won series against Tampa Bay, Boston, Texas and Los Angeles. It has been a smooth combination of good hitting and pitching that has helped upstart this Yankee squad.
The hitting has gotten off to a fast start, as veterans Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada are each batting over .375. Newcomer Curtis Granderson has not fallen victim to any first year pinstripe woes and he is hitting .311 with two home runs. Second baseman Robinson Cano has hit a power surge, as he leads the team with four dingers and ten RBI’s. He has done very well in the fifth spot that manager Joe Girardi has put him in. The only disappointment to be found in the Yankee nine is located right in the heart of the order. Mark Teixeira is only 5 for 44 so far and he just hit his first homerun on Sunday against Texas. Teixeira is known for his slow starts and he usually heats up in mid-May.
The Yankee arms are also very impressive so far. Ace CC Sabathia has pitched three gems so far, as he is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA. A.J. Burnett has also jumped out to a 2-0 record. Leading the Yankees rotation right now is grizzled veteran Andy Pettitte. In his three starts so far, the lefty has tossed 20 innings and given up only three runs. With a 2-0 record, Pettitte also leads the Bombers with a 1.35 ERA. Of course, the anchor of the Yankees pitching staff, closer Mariano Rivera, is dominating opposing hitters. In seven appearances, the future hall-of-famer has five saves and he has only let up two hits in six innings.
Also keeping up with last year’s performance, the New York Mets, at 6-8 are already fighting to stay at the .500 mark. They have dropped series to contenders like St. Louis, Colorado and Florida. They also lost two out of three to the bottom dwellers of the NL East, the Washington Nationals. Carlos Beltran’s absence has sure hurt this Met lineup, as fill-in Garry Matthews Jr. is only hitting .185 with only two extra base hits. Once Beltran, the four-time all-star, is back with the team, there will certainly be more production in the order. Until then, Jeff Francoeur has stepped up in his first full season as a Met. He is hitting .302 with 3 homeruns and eight RBI. If the former Atlanta Brave can keep his average around .300 and continue to show some power, he will continue to be a dominant force for the Mets.
Trying to rebound from a disappointing 2009 campaign, third baseman David Wright already has three homeruns. That is seven away from the 10 that he hit last year. Wright is currently hitting .230 but could soon see his average rising above the .300 mark. If this happens, the Mets lineup will have the threatening force at the plate that they missed out on last year. The lack of big names in the Mets starting five is beginning to show thus far and that could become the biggest weak spot for Jerry Manuel’s team in 2010. Former Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana has been keeping the Mets in games but he has not been dominant. With a 1-1 record and a 3.00 ERA, Santana might just need to put the rest of the rotation on his back, except for maybe Mike Pelfrey.
This may finally be the year that the once promising prospect emerges as the ace the Mets hoped for when he debuted in 2006. Pelfrey has won all three of his starts and boasts a 0.86 ERA. If he keeps it up, the Santana-Pelfrey combo could rival other 1-2 punches in MLB. As for closer Francisco Rodriguez, he has only been in one save opportunity (in which he recorded a blown save). It will only be a matter of time until K-Rod is given chances to shine as one of the greatest closers in the league but he will need help from his mates in the bullpen.
New additions Hisanori Takahashi and Ryota Igarashi have performed quite well so far and they will need to further build the bridge that gets to K-Rod. The Mets have done well recently, winning three out of their past four games (including a 20 inning win against St. Louis) but in the competitive NL East, with the defending NL champ Phillies and the resurgent Marlins and Braves, the Mets will need to start stringing together a few wins but it is only April.
