The Yankee bats finally came to life on Monday, but it wasn't all peaches 'n cream for the Bombers.
Mike Mussina was brilliant through six, Bobby Abreu fell a double short of the cycle, Hideki Matsui drove in two and the bullpen pitched three scoreless innings as the
Yanks downed Tampa 6-1 at The Stadium. The win gave the Bombers a split of the four-game set, but
Derek Jeter left the game in the third inning with a strained quad -- the only downer to an otherwise enjoyable ballgame.
The Good:Mike Mussina. Moooooose! Mussina was in total command against the Rays. The Moose worked quickly and economically and almost burned a path to Robinson Cano at second as he induced 11 total ground ball outs. His only mistake came in the third when he spun a 2-1 breaking pitch to Jonny Gomes, who deposited it into the left field seats. But Mussina was undeterred and allowed only three more runners to reach base (and one of those was on an error). Mussina captured his first win of the season and 251st of his career with this gem: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR. Good show, old boy.
Bobby Abreu. The Candy Man continued his torrid start as he lined his first homer of the year in the first to give the Yanks a quick 2-0 lead. After going 0 for 4 in the season opener, Abreu has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .476 over that span (that's good for .400 overall). Bobby couldn't complete the cycle, however, so the next time a Yankee gets close everyone will once again be reminded that Tony Fernandez is the last Bomber to do it. Aberu finished a perfect 3 for 3 with a walk, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs.
Hideki Matsui. Godzilla helped the Yanks bust the game open with an RBI-double in the sixth and a ribbie single in the seventh. It's still early, but Matsui leads the Yanks with 6 runs batted in so far this season. Matsui finished 2 for 4 with 2 ribbies.
The Bad:Wilson Betemit. Betemit started the game at first, but was moved to short after Jeter left the game in the third. The bouncing around must have had a detrimental effect on the switch-hitter because he was the only Yankee who didn't reach base. Betemit finished 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.
The Ugly:We've got a Captain down. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the Yankees just don't look like the Yankees when Jeter isn't in the lineup. DJ is a gamer and probably the toughest player in the Majors (pound for pound) so you have to believe he'll be back at short in no time. At least, I hope he is.
So, the Yanks finished the first homestand at a decent 4-3. No too bad, considering they didn't swing the bats well in six of them. The season's first road trip will be an 8-game trek through Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay. First up, a three-game set with the Royals. Kansas City has gotten off to a solid 3-2 start and will send Brian Bannister to the hill. Bannister pitched well his first time out -- allowing two hits and zero runs in seven innings -- in a win over the Detroit Tigers. The Yanks will counter will Phil Hughes, who pitched well in his first start, but didn't factor in the decision.
Tuesday's game will also be the Royals home opener.
Time to spoil the party.
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Being that you are an encyclopedia of baseball, especially when it comes to the Yankees, I was hoping you can give me some advice with my Fantasy Baseball team. Who would be you pick as your shortstop to give you the best bang for your buck? Derek Jeter or Khalil Greene?