Yankees still snoozing

[BronxBomberz]

Memo to the Yankees' offense: the season has started.

Five games into the 162-game marathon that is major league baseball, an offense that many feel is capable of producing 1,000 runs is way behind schedule.

"There's not too many guys hitting right now," said Johnny Damon, who at .111 isn't hitting.

The Yankees' second consecutive loss to Tampa Bay, 6-3, Saturday before 52,247 Yankee Stadium onlookers, was the latest example of offensive futility. On a day when Andy Pettitte was ineffective in his season debut, the Yankee bats continued to be uncharacteristically silent.

Consider this: The Yankees are hitting .231, or 52 points lower than the Rays. The Yanks have scored 15 runs in five games, compared to 31 runs in four games by Tampa Bay. The Yanks have hit three home runs, the Rays seven. The Yankees are the biggest offensive disappointment east of Detroit.

Isn't there something wrong with this picture?

"The offense is going to hit at some point," said acting manager Rob Thomson, in his second game filling in for Joe Girardi (upper respiratory infection). "We've had some pretty good pitching performances thrown at us. I think our offense is the least of our worries."

There's also some concerns about the starting pitching. After rookie Ian Kennedy's failure Friday night, Pettitte allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings in a debut delayed by back spasms.

"He might be a little rusty," Thomson said.

Pettitte admitted as much, saying he couldn't throw a curve for a strike and couldn't locate his cutter away.

"My command was not good," he said. "I've got a lot of work to do."

He also deserved better defensive support. A throwing error by first baseman Shelley Duncan, looking like Dr. Strangeglove Jason Giambi, led to two unearned runs in the third inning before Pettitte was touched for a three-run homer by Jonny Gomes in the fifth that gave the Rays a 5-1 cushion.

Pettitte was "gassed" in the fifth and his fatigue led him to hang a two-strike change-up that Gomes, swinging off one foot, lined into the left field stands.

Considering how tame the Yankees' offense has been, the game was over at that point. After Alex Rodriguez doubled in a first-inning run, Edwin Jackson, he of the 5-15 record and 5.76 ERA last season, shut down the Yankees for five more innings.

Once he wiggled his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second when he got Damon to pop up and Derek Jeter to strike out for the second time in as many innings, Jackson was in cruise control.

"We let him off the hook a little bit and gave him some confidence," said Giambi, who left the game with a sore left groin after rounding second base in the third inning. "We're not getting that one breakthrough hit yet."

Jorge Posada got one in the eighth inning when he delivered a two-run single with one out, reducing the Yankee deficit to three runs. But typical of their early-season frustrations, the Bombers should have had more runs.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Trevor Miller struck out Robinson Cano, who's struggling at .105. After Posada's hit, the left-hander rebounded to fan Hideki Matsui.

"I thought we had him on the ropes," said Thomson. "Then he gets the two lefties. That's his job."

Al Reyes relieved Miller and did his job, retiring Duncan on a groundout. Troy Percival, trying to revive his Angels' glory days, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save as a Ray.

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Bats should wake up today.

[bwitty24]

Hopefully the bats will wake up today, but if they don't I wouldn't be surprised.

James Shields, who is 0-4 with an 8.58 record against the Yankees, is still a very solid starter, who is more than capable of getting out of his funk against the Yankees. I think the Yankees will have to hit him early to take away some of his confidence from last game. If they don't produce a couple of early runs, then I think this game will be difficult.

Hopefully Wang will come out with a strong outing so the bats won't have to be too hot. However, with Shields' history against the Yankees, the alarm may go off for the Yankees and they may come to play.