Mar 18 2009
DOMINANT-LOOKING C.C., MO’S BACK
C.C. Sabathia showed last night why he was brought here - simply to be a dominant ace. The big guy fanned 7 batters over a 4-inning performance, while only allowing 1 run and 1 walk. That’s the kind of ace you want on the mound when the game’s on the line, and hopefully we’ll be seeing that type of effort at Fenway this summer. Following C.C., Mariano Rivera made his debut this spring, and looked like classic Mo. He was spotting his cutter, throwing with nice velocity, and had no pain while doing so. Mo also struck out 2 in that inning, something that puts everyone at ease going into one of the most anticipated seasons in a long time.
At the plate, aging Hideki Matsui clobbered a 2-run homer, and also doubled in 2. Posada added a 2-run single to center, and the Melk-man included an RBI. On the other side of the diamond, former home-grown prospect Jose Tabata (included in the Nady/Marte deal) singled, stole a base, and scored - if this kid develops into what the Yankees thought he could be, the Pirates could very well have one of the best young outfields in the game with him and McLouth.
A couple of other things to note -
1) Wang faces the Astros today (again) - Why have we played the Astros like everyday of the spring? Wang didn’t look so good against Boston last Friday, so let’s hope he settles in and finds that magnificent sinker before we start the real season.
2) Some Yankee official came out and said that Joba would be the closer if Rivera was to get hurt this year - what?! What is wrong with the Yankee brass??? Stop with the back and forth, it’s ridiculous! If you want the kid to be a starter, leave him in the rotation. If you really think he’ll be the next closer, leave him in the bullpen. It’s not right to mess with Joba like this, nor is it beneficial to his health. I understand in a scenario if Mo goes down, and then you try a couple of different guys to fill in but they fail miserably, THEN you can consider throwing him in there. The way they’re handling him is absurd, and you need to just decide on a role and let him pitch. Thanks for listening to the rant.
