Rest stop: Yanks blanked at Detroit
For the first time since the 1980 campaign, a season in which they won 103 games mind you, the New York Yankees were shutout in their first road contest. It was an uninspiring 4-0 loss at the hands of the Detroit Tigers. A game which saw the Tigers scratch out more runs (four) than the Yankees had hits (three). Manager Joe Girardi rested his a few of his regulars and as it turned out, the few represented the many on this forgettable afternoon. Once again as the late great Yogi Berra once said, “You can observe a lot by watching.” Here’s what I observed in the Yankees loss. The old and the rested: Yes, the baseball season is a grind and a marathon. Yes, the Yankees were coming off a late afternoon tilt and travel flight. Yes, they are an older team. No, you do not need to rest your regulars when it's only the fourth game into the season! Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran were in a groove and Alex Rodriguez was starting to hit his stride, so naturally they would all ride the pine in Detroit Friday. Granted it's one game but the juggling of the lineup didn't seem to help the red hot Starlin Castro, who moved to the three hole and went 0-for-4 on the day. Maybe Chase Headley and his .083 average could use a breather, just a thought.
What the Ells going on out there?: Remember when Andy Pettitte left the Yankees for Houston and they made a reactionary move by trading for Kevin Brown? This signing may yet trump that deal. No, Robinson Cano wasn't worth that kind of money but turning around and giving it to Jacoby Ellsbury was equally disastrous. Ellsbury has one great year (2011) to his credit and he looks completely lost. Even Ellsbury's trademark defense and speed are off, after losing a ball in center during the fourth and getting caught stealing as well. Starting five, no sixth, man: Much like his other three rotation mates, Luis Severino displayed good stuff and high velocity but couldn't make it out of the sixth inning. In fact, no Yankees starter has done so thus far. Again, it was Severino's first start and like the other guys in the rotation, he's still fine tuning. Plus, Severino received zero run support and outside of Aaron Hicks, didn't get much help from his defense, especially the aforementioned Ellsbury and the out of position Dustin Ackley at first base. While the Yankees tend to score more than their football brethren Giants and Jets do, they need length out of their starters or it's going to be a long August and September of getting outs from the Scranton shuttle. https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/718544240603586560