 |
| Clayton Kershaw rounds the bases after his first career homer. Kershaw's
solo shot to lead off the eighth inning broke a scoreless tie and
propelled the Dodgers past the rival Giants 4-0. |
NEW YORK - The depleted Yankees
struggled mightily in the season-opener, striking out seven times with runners
on base and only getting five innings from ace CC Sabathia in an 8-2 loss to
Boston.
The Game: The Red Sox's four-run
second inning was plenty enough for an 8-2 victory. After two walks and two
infield singles produced the first run, key two-out singles by Shane Victorino
and Dustin Pedroia against Yankees starter CC Sabathia decided the game.
Victorino's drove in two and Pedroia's added the fourth run.
But for a Francisco Cervelli's
two-out, two run single in the fourth, the Yankees couldn't come up with clutch
hits. They had runners on base in all but one inning but the only extra-base hit
was Kevin Youkilis' leadoff double in the fourth. The Yankees struck out 10
times in the game, seven of the whiffs with runners on base. For a team not
sure where it's offense will come from with several key players injured, the
most troubling inning was the seventh, when after two walks, Eduardo Nunez,
Robinson Cano and Youkilis – the 2-3-4 hitters -- struck out against the Boston
bullpen.
What it means: One game hardly
sets the tone for an entire season but for a couple of teams unsure of just how
good they can be this season, the Red Sox come away with a better feeling. They
strung some key hits in their four-run second inning, the most important the
two-run single by Victorino.
The Yankees still aren't sure
where their offense will come from. Is Cano the man – at least until Derek
Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson return from injuries? There was even
a moment of hesitation as the Yankees took the field to start the game. Jeter,
the captain, usually leads them. Players looked at each other and finally Cano
took the first steps. But he didn't deliver in a key situation with two on and
one out in the seventh, striking out against Boston reliever Andrew Miller.
Manager Joe Girardi still is looking at lineup combinations and probably will
move Ichiro Suzuki into the No. 2 spot. Suzuki batted seventh because Girardi
didn't want three lefties (with Brett Gardner and Cano) in the top three spots
against Red Sox lefty starter Jon Lester.
The scene: The Red Sox-Yankees
rivalry is missing some its usual energy with tempered expectations for both
teams. The game began on a somber note with a tribute to the Sandy Hook
Elementary School shooting victims. Then, the crowd was subdued even more by
the four-run second-inning for the Red Sox against Yankees ace Sabathia. With
concerns about a depleted Yankees offense – and the hitters did little to allay
those fears – Yankee Stadium was without its usual anticipation that something
special was about to happen.
Fun fact: The Yankees missed a
chance to break a major league record by winning for the 12th consecutive time
when their first game of the season was at home. The last time they opened the
season with a home loss was 1982 against the White Sox. Boston was the victim
in two of those Yankees wins and both Red Sox losing pitchers also played for
the Yankees – Roger Clemens and David Wells.
What's next: Both teams need to
see strong pitching to buoy their hopes, the Yankees because of their concerns
with the offense, the Red Sox because Monday winner Jon Lester and Clay
Buchholz, who faces the Yankees next after an off-day Tuesday, are coming off
disappointing seasons.
The Yankees will start 16-game
winner Hiroki Kuroda on Wednesday.
Source : www.usatoday.com
No comments:
Post a Comment