Friday, April 10, 2009

Pettitte Strong as Yankees Take Opener (Postgame Notes 10 April 2009)

Andy Pettitte was not a big name signing in the offseason, but never matter. Tonight, he pitched like it. Through seven innings, Pettitte allowed just three hits and walked one while striking out six. One of the hits was a ball misplayed by Nick Swisher in right; had it been ruled an error, Pettitte would still not have an ERA.

Strangely enough, Kansas City pitching actually struck out more Yankees than Yankees struck out Royals (11 to 10). Most of KC's strikeouts came via their bullpen, striking out six.

The most notable aspect of the Yankee offense at this point, however, is not Mark Teixeira beginning to pick things up or Nick Swisher's leading the team with six RBI; it has got to be the performance of Robinson Canó.

The .571 average probably won't last much longer, but there is no competing with the 2-3 with a walk; Canó has now walked four times this season (four games old), while last year, he did not walk his fourth time until the 22nd game. I'm not sure what it was that seems to have gotten Canó on track this season--maybe it's simply a primeval fear of repeating what happened last season--but as a Yankee fan, I'm in no mood to complain.

The lack of any serious Yankee offense after the fourth inning is a concern only if it becomes a habit. In today's game, the pitching was so strong for the Yankees that the three run lead was enough, but this, of course, will not always be the case. Matsui has not looked sharp in the clean up spot; and while A-Rod will be back soon enough, it is still an issue the Yankees may want to address. There are too many other hitters that have been hitting well to leave a struggling Matsui hitting fourth.

Still, there is enough to be happy about--the number four starter goes seven strong innings, the 8th inning guy has a 1-2-3 inning, Mariano Rivera notches his first save of the season, and the offense does enough to win the game.

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