Home Opening Victory feels Good

AP photo

In the Yankees home opener of 2012, there were many things that you take away as positives. The first obviously being that Kuroda pitched a gem, going eight innings and surrendering only five hits and no runs allowed. This start shows that the American League and pitching at Yankee Stadium doesn't phase the Japanese right-hander. His splitter and slider looked outstanding today and it gives the Yankees bullpen a rest as they only had to make three outs in the game.

Another positive that is taken from this game is the dominance that Alex Rodriguez showed. He was not hitting at all before today and ended up going 3-4 with a home run. The 630th home run of his career tied him with former teammate Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth place all time on the all time list. Coming back to Yankee Stadium and the crowd being pumped may have helped Rodriguez's confidence, but ultimately he got those hits on his own. I like Girardi's new look lineup featuring A-Rod batting in front of Cano in the third spot. It gives opposing bullpens a tougher decision to make when they have to use lefties to face Cano and Granderson.

Also, the Yankees hit well with runners in scoring position today, with the biggest hit coming from Swisher in the first inning with the bases loaded.

Tomorrow, the Yankees take on C.J. Wilson as Phil Hughes takes the mound for his second start of the year. He hopes to improve from his last start, where he only went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs.