The rain that had been forecast earlier in the day held off.
Too bad.
Ian Kennedy couldn't find the plate, the dynamic duo of LaTroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth combined to give up seven runs in the eighth and Joe Girardi called out sick as Tampa Bay
whipped the Yankees 13-4 Friday night. A team experiences a lot of firsts this early in the season -- the first win, the first loss -- and this was the first beat down.
The Good:Jonathan Albaladejo. The biggest surprise to make the 25-man roster was the lone bright spot for the Yankees. Albaladejo came in for an ineffective Kennedy in the third and although he allowed an inherited runner to score, he was solid in his 2+ innings of work. He also kept the Bombers in the game -- for a time, anyway. JA will probably be sent down to make room for Andy Pettitte, who's scheduled to come off the DL on Saturday, but he could find himself back with the big club soon. Johnny's night: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K.
The Bad:Ian Kennedy. The kid just didn't have it. Kennedy walked the first batter of the game and it was a harbinger of things to come. His control was terrible and you're not going to get the borderline calls when you start off every batter with a ball. Kennedy had a chance to limit the damage to two runs in the third inning, but allowed a double to backup catcher and pinch-hitter Shawn Riggans (he came in for Dioner Navarro who somehow managed to slice his hand in between innings) that chased in three runs and put Tampa up 6-0. The hit also chased Kennedy from the game. Kennedy's outing: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 2 K. All part of the learning process, I guess.
LaTroy Hawkins. The Hawk was the only Yankee reliever to give up an earned run coming into Friday's action and he continued the negative vibes with aplomb. Hawkins entered the game in the eighth with the Rays up 6-4 and quickly extinguished any hope for a comeback. He managed to get the leadoff hitter, but was slapped around after that. When LaTroy finally walked off the hill, the Rays held a 10-4 lead. For shame! L-Train's damage: .2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.
Kyle Farnsworth. If the words "bullpen" and "disaster" are ever uttered then you just have to assume that Farnsworth was somehow involved. Indeed he was. The game was all but decided by the time Kyle trotted in, but that didn't mean he couldn't throw some gasoline on the fire. Farnsworth completed the inning from hell by promptly giving up a three-run bomb to Carlos Pena to end the Rays scoring. Two of those runs were charged to Hawkins so Farnsworth's line doesn't look that bad, but the people know the real score. Farnsworthless' contribution: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR.
The Ugly:There are no
sick days in baseball! I don't know if I've ever seen or heard of a manager missing a game due to illness. Joe Torre missed time on the Yankee bench during his tenure, but that was because he was undergoing treatment for cancer. Girardi was absent on Friday with an upper respiratory infection. Hey, if you're sick, you're sick, and I have to believe G.I. Joe would've been out there if he could, but I just don't remember a manager calling out for a ballgame. Bench coach Rob Thomson called the shots for the Bombers in his place.
It's the first day game of the season for the Yanks on Saturday as they try to bounce back from this drubbing. Andy Pettitte will make his first start of the season after missing the end of Spring Training with a bad back. Pettitte is 13-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 20 career starts against the Rays. Tampa Bay will send the hard-throwing Edwin Jackson to the hill. Jackson finished 5-15 in 2007 with a putrid 5.76 ERA, but his stuff is better than that.
Let's see how the Yanks respond.
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and so the girardi era begins. he's was crying baby as a player and now no different as a manager. how sick could he have been. i'm on record saying he was a terrible hire!!!!