Originally Posted by
Olympic Fan
I think this is the first crack in the Yankees' bright hopes ... maybe the second, depending upon how you view Sabathia's lack of effectiveness in his first start.
I don't mind that Tex -- and Jeter -- have started slow at the plate. I expected that after both missed most of last year. It doesn't bother me that high-priced talent such as McCann and Beltran have been feeble at the plate ... it's early and can change quickly. Look at Ellsbury -- he was hitless in his first three games, now he's up to .375. Those are all things that you can't panic about for the first week/month of the season.
But for the Yankees to contend, the team's fragile older players had to stay on the field. Sabathia and Kuroda had bounce back from late-season slumps in 2013. Kuroda had a good first start and Pineda, pitching for the first time in two years, was excellent (even though he lost). Sabathia hasn't been the same all spring.
If Tex's injury is a short-term thing, okay. It is encouraging that it's not the wrist. But it's a sign of how fragile he's become. I'm afraid the same applies to Jeter, Roberts and Ellsbury -- who have all had major injury problems in recent years (Suzuki is that old, but appears to be indestructible).
Anyway, I'm not panicking yet, but I am holding me breath.
PS What happened to our power? Though five games this season -- zero home runs. That's why we are currently 15th out of 15 in the AL in OPS.