Disappointing Loss in Toronto

 

On another day where there was a highly anticipated Yankees debut, the Yankees ended the day on a low note. Michael Pineda made his first start in a Yankees uniform and his first start since September of 2011, which he made as a member of the Seattle Mariners. Pineda was everything the Yankees hoped for and more, as he went six innings and allowed only one run on five hits and did not walk a batter. What most people were interested in seeing however, was the velocity on his fastball. Pineda's fastball sat mostly at 93 MPH but peaked many times at 95. He is not throwing 97 like he did in his rookie season for the Mariners but the Yankees will take his current decreased velocity if he performs this way 32 times this year. Pineda really deserved a win today but the Yankees offense was non existent and David Phelps allowed a pair of homers in the eighth inning to make a 4-0 game seem like a 10-0 game based on the way the Yankees offense has performed in four of their first five games in the 2014 season.

The Yankees have several home run hitters in their lineup, and collectively in five games the Yankees offense has combined for zero home runs. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. To put that into perspective, Melky Cabrera already has two long balls, and he is not a power hitter. When the Yankees had opportunities in the sixth and eighth innings, they floundered with runners in scoring position. The team went 1-10 with RISP and scored no runs against Dickey and the Jays bullpen. Things seem to be not going in favor of the Yankees thus far this season. Opposing teams are making unbelievable plays against them, coupled with the fact that this lineup still looks dysfunctional. With a collection of such prestigious hitters, one would think the offense would not be the Yankees problem. Well, aside from Ellsbury none of the newly acquired free agents have made an ounce of difference. If this trend continues at Yankee Stadium, characters like McCann and Beltran will hear it from the fans. Carlos Beltran specifically looks to be in a funk at the plate right now, swinging at bad pitches and looking uncomfortable at the plate. In addition, Alfonso Soriano has killed the Yankees in the lineup. Soriano is 0-16 to start the season and has not come through when the Yankees needed it, most recently today when he had a chance to drive in the tying run in the eighth before the Jays three run outburst against Phelps in the bottom of the inning.

In tomorrow's rubber game, CC Sabathia will try to improve on his most recent performance in which he allowed six runs to the Astros. 23 year old Drew Hutchison will try to give the Blue Jays a series win. If the Yankees offense continues to trend the way it has, Hutchison will not have a problem doing so.