Scratching My Head

DISCLAIMER: I was fully prepared to write an all-positive blog entry tonight, speaking about the Yankees' 6-2 victory, Phil Hughes' successful debut, David Robertson bouncing back, and Robinson Cano's red hot start. I was collecting my thoughts as Joba Chamberlain was getting through the Angels in the ninth inning. With two outs, a ground ball rolled under the glove of Captain Clutch, putting two runners on with two outs. No problem for Joba right? Wrong. Instead, Joe Girardi came out of the dugout immediately to grab Mariano Rivera for a one out save.

Honestly, I believe Girardi has some kind of a mission to get Rivera to 600 saves....THIS SEASON. He brings him in at any point if there's a save situation. The guy is almost 40 years old. Tonight was a perfect night to conserve his energy and let Joba finish the game. Chamberlain looked fairly sharp and was only one out away. Instead, Rivera had to warm up in the pen, warm up when he got to the mound, and get Bobby Abreu to ground out to second base. There was no reason that the game could not have been left in the hands of Joba Chamberlain.

On to other matters from another series victory, Phil Hughes' start was acceptable. You could see the life on his fastball, but 5 walks in just over 5 innings is too much. Luckily, he used the strikeout to escape a few jams. But the walks will kill you eventually, so hopefully it was some early season jitters for young Phil. Between Hughes' walks and the fact that Scott Kazmir is now an atrocious pitcher, it's no wonder why the game took almost 4 hours.

Good for Robinson Cano to hit two homers. It's really amazing that the Yankees have won three series to start the season with their three and four hitters not contributing too much. Instead, they've been getting help from guys like Jeter, Cano, Posada, and Granderson. Teixeira seemed to have better at bats tonight, but he still didn't even get the bat on the ball, walking three times and striking out twice. Tomorrow would be a good day to give Teixeira a day off. Let Johnson play first, and Marcus Thames could DH. Thames earned himself another start, despite almost getting hosed out at second base on a ball off of the 399 foot sign after dogging it out of the batter's box.

The Texas Rangers come to town tomorrow to begin a three game set in the Bronx, before the Yankees head out west. The schedule continues during a tough stretch, but winning series is a good sign, even if it is April. If Tex and A-Rod can get going, this team really can get on a roll.