The Bronx Bombers are back!
Well, maybe that's a bit much, but Melky Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada blasted solo homers, Andy Pettitte gave the team quantity and quality in the pitching department and the formula of Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera helped the
Yankees subdue the Royals 6-1 at Kauffman Stadium. The Yanks avoided the sweep, moved back to .500 and have a little spring in their step as they head to Boston for a weekend series with the Red Sox.
The Good:
Andy Pettitte. It didn't start out well for the veteran lefty as the Royals mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the first to take an early 1-0 lead. But Pettitte bounced back and -- even though he lacked his good stuff -- battled his way for his first victory of the season. Even the wind-swept rain that delayed the game in the fourth inning couldn't deter Pettitte. Or the line drive cracked back to the box in the sixth inning. In the end, Pettitte gave the Yanks all they could have hoped for -- a solid start and a win. Andy evened his record at 1-1 with this: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP and 1 pickoff.
Melky Cabrera. The Melk-Man smacked his second home run of the season (and first as a right-handed batter) in the third inning to even the score at 1-1. I gotta be honest -- I didn't think that ball was going to go out. It looked like a sure double in the gap, but not a four-bagger. I guess Melky has been hitting the weight room. Cabrera's RBI-single in the fifth gave the Yanks a 3-1 advantage and proved that it isn't impossible to hit with runners in scoring position. Melky finished 2 for 5 with a run scored, and 2 runs batted in.
Alex Rodriguez/Jorge Posada. The Yankees 3, 4 hitters went back to back (and a belly to belly!) in the ninth inning to help put the game on ice so I'm going to combine their "goodness." A-Rod slammed one of his patented long, soaring fly balls to center for his second dinger of the year and Posada followed it with his first round-tripper of the season -- a long blast to right. Rodriguez also made some nice plays defensively -- turning a 5-3 double play in the third to snuff a Royal rally and a snazzy backhanded play in the ninth. Posada saw action at DH after sitting out last night's game and responded by collecting two hits. A-Rod finished 1 for 4 with a walk, a run scored, and 2 ribbies. Posada went 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs scored and 1 ribbie.
The Bad:
Robinson Cano. As Ken Singleton always says, there's always one guy who doesn't get his invitation to the party. The Yankees banged out 12 hits against Royal pitching, but Cano went hitless on Thursday night. Robbie finished 0 for 3 with a walk.
The Ugly:Run for cover! The game was halted in the fourth inning when the wind began to howl and the skies opened up. But YES had everything covered as they ran a sneek peak of a new show called
Yesterdays -- a "look at the formative years of select high-profile Yankees and other athletes." Yep, Michael Kay has another gig.
The Bombers clash with the Red Sox for the first time this season on Friday night at Fenway Park. Chien-Ming Wang takes his 2-0 record to the hill and will face off against Clay Buchholz. The BoSox expect big things from Buchholz this season, but he got off to a rocky beginning with a loss to the Blue Jays in his first start. He'll be making his first career appearance against the Yanks. Wang is 5-5 in his career against the Red Sox with a 4.56 ERA, but he has really struggled at Fenway -- he's 2-3 with a bloated 6.17 ERA.
I'm sure Erin from
Beantown West and Cameron from
Who Made You Mirabelli? will be watching so check them out if you want an enemy's perspective on the weekend series.
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