The Magic Carpet

By Matthew

Cleveland Indians 10 (3-7)
New York Yankees 2 (5-5)

Winning Pitcher: Cliff Lee (1-2)
Losing Pitcher: Jose Vera (0-1)

HR: Posada (2)
Sizemore (3)
Martinez (3)

The day finally arrived.

For months, Guru's daily trip to Yankees.com has been greeted by the countdown to Opening Day at the New Yankee Stadium and the Date 'April 16, 2009' has been emblazoned on my noggin. The sun was glorious in a cloudless sky and the anticipation was high, the ceremonies grand (Bernie WIlliams standing alone in Center Field, how else? - playing a self-composed Jazz Guitar version of 'Take me out to the Ballgame' had me crying real live Pinstriped Tears...Bernie was hurt being cut and chafed at missing this as a player, most organizations would have made him persona non grata, the Yankee way was on display.)

Ultimately, the setup was better than the follow-through, as the Yankees looked a little tight all afternoon, hung on by their fingernails through a gritty but uneven (5 Walks) by LH/CC Sabathia (the 2007 AL Cy Young Award Winner for the Cleveland Indians) and took their at-bats, typically long, drawn-out affairs as if they had someplace better to be - as if that was even possible, on April 16, 2009.

Facing CC, was LH/Cliff Lee (the 2008 AL Cy Young Award Winner for the Cleveland Indians), coming off two horrendous losses and Lee was in control from the beginning, taking advantage of Yankee impatience to send them chasing and surrendered only a long BOMB HR to dead CF by Jorge Posada, who continues to R-A-K-E with thump. Lee pitched 6 Innings, 7H, 1R, 3BB, 4K and got the decision.

For his part, CC pitched 5.2 Innings, 5H, 1R, 5BB, 4K, but his 122 pitches forced him from the game in the 6th inning, which would play a huge role in deciding this one.

With a 1-1 game on the line, Edwar Ramirez relieved and gave up a 1B, loading the bases, he, in turn, was relieved by Phil Coke who got the 3rd out, after the Yankees went out in the Top of the 7th...

The game blew wide open.

Jose Veras, who has brilliant stuff but seriously erratic results, walked 1 and gave up 2 hits, without retiring a batter and only avoids being the subject of Preschool Death Squads (Steinbrenner device for dealing with wayward relievers) due to the HORRENDOUS performance of the next pitcher, Damaso Marte, who was misused and ineffective in 2008 after coming over in the Nady trade with Pittsburgh, was resigned (mystifying Yankee fans) for big dollars in '09 and has been awful, dreadful and looking every bit of the Red Sox version of Eric Gagne...On this day, he 'held' the Indians to SIX runs, on 3 H, 1 BB and 2HR (one of them a Grand Slam by Grady Sizemore on a frisbee slider...).

In an instant, an interesting 1-1 game between the two Cleveland Cy Young LH turned into a joke, pretty tough to survive NINE run innings!

And that, in terms of the game itself, was that.

For the Yankees, roster moves await, Xavier Nady is done, David Robertson, who pitched very well last year is back up from AAA to take his slot and pitched the 8th and 9th scoreless yesterday, certainly Veras is a candidate to go down for a stint, Marte is a serious veteran and poses more problems, he may chafe at Minors, has no trade value and looks, more and more, like this year's version of Latroy Hawkins, who was a Yankee catastrophe but landed in Houston and dominated after being cut by Yankees. As someone who has seen them come and go for decades, the reality is some guys just don't like it here and don't perform well in this environment...going from Pittsburgh to this day in the Bronx is about as big a contrast as the results for Marte - better to take the hit and send him away too soon, then wait...wait...wait and watch these scenes unfold. If they are committed to him, Girardi needs to use him as INTENDED - as a LH specialist, not a set-up man - Phil Coke, who was a dominant starter in Minors, has the arm and the repertoire to be stretched out, he should be the set-up LH and Marte can come in an do his thing (K or BB to LH hitter). Minors offer help with Melancon and Hughes dominant arms to bring up.

Yankee numbers point to the illusion of small-sample statistics. The OVERALL show a team that has been hitting (5.4 runs per game) and not pitching (5.4 ERA), but the reality is the Offense is ailing with all the power hitters hurt (Alex, Tex, Nady) and only 4 batters contributing (Swisher, Jeter, Posada, Cano), the lineup is filled with holes right now, particularly with all the RH thump gone - its no accident their two worst games came against LH studs (Kazmir, Lee), they don't have the horses there.

As for the pitching, its a reverse situation, with all BUT 4 pitchers throwing well, only (Marte, Veras, Wang and Coke) have struggled. Wang, Coke are not concerns and Veras, Marte offer options.

10 game diagnosis?

Pitching looks great. Offense needs Alex and a healthy Tex. Until then, Pitching will have to carry things.

More day baseball in the beautiful new palace today, we'll be here afterwards.