Taking this weekend’s series with the Rays really was a must, and the Yankees accomplished it – barely. On Friday night Tanaka delivered a good start, and both Beltran and A-Rod homered. Last night it was Evo on the hill, pitching well, and while the Yanks were being no-hit for most of the game, Castro’s homer was just enough to give us the win in a surprise comeback. Saturday was the blemish – another stinker by Pineda.
Yes, he’s still young. Yes, he’s got talent. But is he one of those guys who wasn’t meant for New York for whatever reason? The majors are full of pitchers who did well elsewhere but failed for the Yankees. Is it too early to know? And what to do with him in the meantime? Apparently, the brain trust feels he should keep making his regular starts. I’m thinking a stint in the minors to work out the kinks might not be so bad.
Beltran continued his great hitting over the weekend, but now he’s injured. How badly? Didn’t sound serious, but it takes 40-year-old athletes longer to recover. And A-Rod, aside from that one homer, has looked dreadful. Teixeira pinch hit yesterday but is otherwise still suffering from neck spasms. Between the three of them, there goes our power. John Sterling was hammering home how well the Red Sox are hitting this season – they’re far and away the offensive leaders – and I was thinking how anemic our hitting has been by contrast. How things turn around, given where both teams were last year.
On to Toronto.
Evo’s game was so much fun to watch, Jane, but only because we ended up with a win. What are the odds that your team only gets one hit and wins the game? Great pitching.
The first game against Toronto was pretty ugly. We did finally score a couple of runs but not enough to come close to a win. Nova just doesn’t have what he has had in the past…I think it’s time to sit him down. Tex looked better and Beltran looked okay. Kind of scary to hear that Ackley is on the DL now. I don’t follow any other teams like I do our Yankees, but do other teams suffer as much are our boys do? Let’s hope we can take the next 2 from Toronto and stay on the right side. GO YANKEES!!!
The injury thing is worrisome, Diane. At first I thought it just happened to the older players because their bodies break down, but it’s team wide. Worse, though, is the lack of hitting. Girardi keeps saying they’re working hard and I’m sure they are, but this isn’t going well. We need a slugger. Why they don’t call up Nick Swisher is beyond me.