Game 1: Yankees at Orioles

April

6

YANKEES (0-0)
2. Derek Sanderson Jeter SS
18. Johnny David Damon LF
25. Mark Charles Teixeira 1B
55. Hideki Matsui DH
20. Jorge Rafael de Posada Jr. C
24. Robinson Jose Cano 2B
22. Xavier Clifford Nady III RF
12. Bryan Cody Ransom 3B
11. Brett Michael Gardner CF
Pitching: 52. Carsten Charles Sabathia LHP

ORIOLES (0-0)
1. Brian Roberts 2B
10. Adam Jones CF
21. Nick Markakis RF
6. Melvin Mora 3B
17. Aubrey Huff 1B
23. Ty Wigginton DH
30. Luke Scott LF
9. Gregg Zaun C
3. Cesar Izturis SS
Pitching: 46. Jeremy Guthrie RHP

CC Sabathia (17-10, 2.70 in 2008) vs. the Baltimore hitters.

Jeremy Guthrie (10-12, 3.63) vs. the New York hitters.

FOR OPENERS: The Yankees are 62-43-1 on Opening Day; 28-29 on the road.

SPRING SUCCESS: The Yankees were 24-10-1 in spring training. The finished with nine straight wins and win in 18 of their last 20 games.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: The Yankees are 56-30 at Camden Yards over the last 10 seasons, 16-6 the last three.

BALTIMORE CHOP: The Yankees have won seven straight against Baltimore.

CC YOU ON THE FIRST DAY: This is the sixth Opening Day assignment for CC Sabathia. He is 1-0, 4.23 in the first five.

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER ACE: Sabathia is the sixth Opening Day starter in the last seven years for the Yankees. The list:

2009: Sabathia
2008: Wang
2007: Pavano (yes, really)
2006: Johnson
2005: Johnson
2004: Mussina
2003: Clemens

HOT SIX MONTHS AGO: Cano is riding an 11-game hit streak. Gardner has a 10-game streak going.

Back with much more later.

UPDATE, 1:55 p.m.: It has stopped raining here.

UPDATE, 2:13 p.m.: The fans don⁈⁚t love Tex here:

UPDATE, 2:17 p.m.: Now the sun is coming out and they⁈⁚re taking the tarp off the field. Good deal.

UPDATE, 2:32 p.m.: Girardi just said A-Rod will report to Tampa on Monday to start baseball activities.

UPDATE, 2:46 p.m.: Now it⁈⁚s sunny with blue skies. Play ball.

UPDATE, 3:07 p.m.: Hmm, now they⁈⁚re putting the tarp back down. That can⁈⁚t be good. i give up trying to predict what will happen. But I will keep you posted.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: Now I know why they put the taro down. It⁈⁚s raining.

Posted by Peter Abraham on Monday, April 6th, 2009

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/

Peter Abraham Game Update:

UPDATE, 5:52 p.m.: Damon tripled and Tex walked with two outs in the fifth inning. But Matsui fouled out. Yankees have left six on base in five innings, two in scoring position.

UPDATE, 5:56 p.m.: Action in the Yankees⁈⁚ pen as CC allows a leadoff double by Roberts. Meanwhile a group of Yankees fans in front of the press box are getting liquored up and swearing at each other. It mystifies me why somebody would pay so much to get into a game and then get plastered.

UPDATE, 6:06 p.m.: Nice scoring in Baltimore. Ransom drops a ball out of his glove and they give Mora a hit.

CC should be out of the game. It⁈⁚s 5-1, he has nothing and he⁈⁚s at 93 pitches. Bases loaded and one out. Just a brutal start for him.

UPDATE, 6:11 p.m.: They intentionally walked Wigginton to load the bases with one out. CC got ahead of Luke Scott 0-2 then walked him. Now he⁈⁚s out. Just a disaster for his first game as a Yankee.

UPDATE, 6:16 p.m.: At least there⁈⁚s Brett Gardner. He just caught a fly ball and gunned down Mora at the plate. But the Yankees trail 6-1.

UPDATE, 6:22 p.m.: The final line for CC: 4.1 8 6 6 5 0. 2 wild pitches, 96 pitches / 50 strikes. Yeesh.

Meanwhile, Posasa homered, Cano walked and Nady doubled him in. Yankees trail 6-3.

UPDATE, 6:29 p.m.: Sabathia⁈⁚s last start without a strikeout was July 25, 2005 at Oakland. He lasted 2.1 innings that day, allowing eight runs.

UPDATE, 6:35 p.m.: Jeter is 3 for 3. Not sure what happened on that play with Nady but he went around third too far and got caught off the bag. Once again, troubles with base-running hurt the Yankees.

Teams lose. But that they⁈⁚re playing so poorly is a surprise.

UPDATE, 6;50 p.m.: Godzilla drills one after a Damon single. Now they trail 6-5. The Yankees own Chris Ray as I recall. Need to look that up.

UPDATE, 6:57 p.m.: I knew it. 16 games, 16 innings, 15 hits, 9 ER coming into today. Ray isn⁈⁚t quite Arthur Rhodes but he⁈⁚s close.

Yankees win this game?

UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: Swisher hits for Ransom and doubles. Pena runs for him. Nice job by Swish. Yankees in business again.

You have Gardner bunt?

UPDATE, 7:16 p.m.: Yes, you do. Runner on third, one out for the captain. Will he tie it up? I would say so, he⁈⁚s Derek Jeter.

UPDATE, 7:17 p.m.: Not that time he wasn⁈⁚t as he grounds to third. Up to Damon.

UPDATE, 7:20 p.m.: What a moment, Tex up with runners on the corners and two outs. They⁈⁚ve been booing him like he⁈⁚s Robert Irsay all day. He⁈⁚s love to make them all eat it now.

UPDATE, 7:21 p.m.: Grounds into a force. 0 for 4 with a walk in his Yankee debut. Bad day for the newcomers.

UPDATE, 7:29 p.m.: Zaun doubles and Izturis homers. Now it⁈⁚s 8-5 and that should be that for the Yankees. Poor start to the season but it⁈⁚s one game. That the won⁈⁚t go 162-0 will send the usual suspects into a panic, I⁈⁚m sure.

UPDATE, 7:42 p.m.: Bruney is back to trying to throw the ball through a wall every time. Not sure why. His entire spring has been that way, more or less. What a workout Posada is getting today. Three wild pitches, now a fourth relief pitcher. Just a big mess.

UPDATE, 7:46 p.m.: I would not trust Damaso Marte in a big spot ever. He got three years?

10 runs on 14 hits, 7 walks and three wild pitches. Brutal.

UPDATE, 7:49 p.m.: Got to get down to the clubhouse, Back with some more later on.

Posted by Peter Abraham on Monday, April 6th, 2009

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/

Beginning Friday, updated Yankee news articles can be found in my SWB Game Report threads. This thread will be closed. The SWB season opener is Thursday.

BigGuy

Newcomers struggle as New York Yankees fall 10-5 to Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day

by Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger

Monday April 06, 2009, 9:49 PM

Gail Burton/Associated PressBaltimore's Adam Jones gets past the tag of the Yankees' Cody Ransom, right, to score in the fifth inning of their opening day game in Baltimore.

BALTIMORE -- Talk about a brutal first day.

The New York Yankees spent a combined $341 million for the services of pitcher CC Sabathia and first baseman Mark Teixeira, believing both to be key additions to what they hope will be a championship season. But on Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles, Sabathia got rocked and Teixeira hardly made an impact, all while being booed harshly in his own hometown.

The end result: a 10-5 Yankees' loss on a day that started with so much anticipation but ended with a massive letdown.

The Yankees will have 161 more chances to get it right. But on this milestone first day, the new-look Yankees did few things well. Sabathia failed to spot his fastball, and struggled with his command overall, walking five while failing to record a single strikeout. He allowed eight hits and six earned runs while inciting an injury scare.

Television cameras caught Sabathia applying a heat pad to his ribs between innings, though he said after the game the pad was used simply to help keep him warm. Manager Joe Girardi, who never saw the pitcher use a heat pad the spring, and said he didn't notice it in the dugout on Monday night, said Sabathia was fine health-wise. Perhaps that was the one sliver of good news on a bad day.

"It was definitely disappointing, it being Opening Day and trying to set the tone and having it end up the way it did," Sabathia said.

Still, Teixeira might have one-upped Sabathia in the unofficial "Worst First Day, Ever" contest. Orioles fans, still irate that the Severna Park, Md. native chose to sign with the Yankees instead of the Orioles, harassed Teixeira as if he had stood in the batter's box and set fire to a Johnny Unitas jersey.

"I would expect no less," said Teixeira, who spent his childhood going to Orioles games.

Teixeira downplayed the fan reaction. When it was suggested that the fans were "angry" he called them "passionate." Teixeira even said he's been booed louder during other parts of his career. (Highly doubtful). Still, Oriole Park at Camden Yards was at its loudest when Teixeira came to bat. Some fans in the front row waved money in the air as they chanted "sell out."

Even Joe Girardi admitted he was surprised by the harshness of the reception.

"I guess it's a new way to describe 'boo bird,'" Girardi said. "I guess they were upset he didn't come here. That's baseball. It seemed like it got momentum as time went one. But he'll get used to that."

With the heat on him, Teixeira went hitless in four at-bats. He drew a walk.

The Orioles built a 6-1 lead off Sabathia but the Yankees came within one run after posting a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

But the Yankees bullpen -- which also didn't have a very good night -- allowed the Orioles to score six four runs in the eighth. Phil Coke and Brian Bruney each surrendered two runs. Coke, however, threw better than his line would indicate while Bruney was every bit as bad.