After five strong innings of work, C.C. Sabathia lost his command in sixth and dug the Yankees a hole they couldn’t crawl out of, resulting in Sabathia’s second straight loss. The series with the Reds didn’t go as planned and the Yankees lost two out of three games as their troubles driving in runs continues.
At the quarter-way mark through the 2012 season, the Yankees are in desperate need of a turnaround and will have to start it tonight in the Bronx with a fresh three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. The last time they met in Kansas City, the series was split and the Yankees went home without their closer, losing Marinao Rivera to injury. Back at home for this set, they’ll surely be hoping for a more positive outcome this time.
Hiroki Kuroda plays the starting role for the Yankees tonight, and will attempt to bounce back from a miserable loss in his last start. He hasn’t had a great month of May and has been giving up a lot of home runs. But pitching at home has been his strength this year, as he’s 3-1 with a 3.08 when throwing in the Bronx. The Yankees hope this home-field advantage is on his side again tonight.
With hitting being the primary issue for the bombers, the opposing pitcher they’ll face tonight won’t help their cause. Felipe Paulino kept the Yankee lineup on their toes and off the scoreboard the last time they faced each other. Paulino pitched six shutout innings and gave up just four hits as the Yankees went on to lose the game 5-1. Maybe tonight the bombers can figure out Paulino a little quicker now that they’ve seen what he’s capable of.
New York Yankees (21-20)
Derek Jeter, SS
Curtis Granderson, CF
Robinson Cano, 2B
Alex Rodriguez, DH
Raul Ibanez, LF
Nick Swisher, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Eric Chavez, 3B
Russell Martin, C
Pitcher: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (3-5, 4.50 ERA)
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. EST at Yankee Stadium
Radio: WCBS 880, WADO 1280
TV: YES
