Can you be angry at a team when you’ve got no expectations? The Yanks lost again last night. Had a 3-1 lead, and Eovaldi pitched pretty well but not long enough, and the bullpen blew it. The offense rallied but came up short.

Final Score: Orioles 7, Yanks 5.

I wish I could feel outrage, despair, something other than resignation. But there it is.

It was nice to see Alex Rodriguez’s home run. Man, that was a bomb. I don’t imagine he’ll stay healthy this year but pretty wild to watch a guy well past his prime do something like that.

Picture by Bags. 

My great uncle Georgie once came in the bathroom when my cousin Donny was taking a bath. George pointed at Donny and said, “You’re all wet!” He said in an accusing tone that made Donny cry. Donny was too young to realize it was meant as a joke.

What this has to do with tonight’s game I don’t know. Maybe I just like that story. Or maybe I just like this picture of Steve Martin from The Jerk.

Regardless, it’s Eovaldi, Take Deuce in Baltimore.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Chase Headley 3B

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Alex Rodriguez DH

Stephen Drew 2B

Chris Young LF

Didi Gregorius SS

Never mind the suds:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Ah, man, but I just couldn’t resist.

Here’s the truth of it: I spent more time watching the festive and screwy Mets-Phillies last night because the atmosphere at Citi Field was bumpin’ like it was October. I saw enough of the Yankee game to know how uninspired it was in comparison. They got close, Sabathia wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t enough as they lost, 4-3.

Picture by Bags.

It’s C.C. Take Two.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Chase Headley 3B

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Garrett Jones DH

Chris Young LF

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

Never mind nuthin’:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: McNair Evans]

The correct answer is D) Zero.

Oh, right, the question. Yeah, the question was: What are the chances that Stephen Drew does anything productive here?

This would be in the top of the 7th inning last night when Drew pinch-hit for Brett Gardner. I mean, when could that ever be a good thing? This was after Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield single to load the bases (had Chris Davis made a better play at first the inning would have been over). The Yanks were down a couple of runs and with Drew up I told The Wife there was no way Drew would do anything good. Not a chance. When the count went to 3-1 I told her he was under orders from the Universe to take a strike and try to work a walk. But what does the Universe care about me and what do I know about the Bigger Questions?

Because Drew swung at the 3-1 pitch and hit a grand slam.

That was enough to survive a shaky appearance by Dellin Betances as the Yanks won, 6-5. Andrew Miller got the last five outs.

[Photo Credit: Jill Freedman via Time]

It’s Pineda tonight as the Yanks start a thee-game series in Baltimore.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Brett Gardner LF

Carlos Beltran DH

Mark Teixeira 1B

Alex Rodriguez 3B

Chris Young RF

John Ryan Murphy C

Didi Gregorius SS

Gregorio Petit 2B

Never mind dem boids”

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: The Retrologist]

And here we thought the Yankees would never score any runs.

Feast your eyes on this.

They plump when you cook ’em (oh, yeah).

Sunday Night baseball. Let’s see what Masahiro’s got.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Brett Gardner LF

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

Never mind the standings:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

It’s early but the thud you hear is your 2015 New York Yankees. Yesterday’s version was scored an 8-4 loss.

Picture by Bags.

There’s plenty of it today here in the Bronx. It’s nice in the sun, supposed to get up to the mid-50s later on, but there’s still a little wind and it’s cool in the shade. It’s that white spring light–almost like there’s too much treble–sun high in the sky.

Yanks and Sox were up late last night but they’ll be at it again for us early this afternoon.

Never mind the hangover:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Richard Estes via the Marlborough Gallery]

The Yankees rallied 3 times against the Red Sox last night, starting in the 9th inning, but they couldn’t do it a fourth time and so in just under 7 hours, they lost 6-5 in 19 innings. It was the kind of a game that is every beat writer’s nightmare. You wondered if it’d ever end. There was good pitching, sloppy fielding, nice fielding, poor hitting, and clutch hitting. There was boredom and excitement and by the end, a lot of sleepy fans.

There was a 15 minute delay in the bottom of the 12th inning when a few of the lights went out. The organist was pressed into emergency service. I suppose the JumboTron was out of scheduled routines. The announcers didn’t know at first how long the delay would last and so as they talked it over the organist vamped–was that “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” he was playing? What an unexpected pleasure, the sounds of the organ pumping out a medley of pop tunes.

Anyhow, for the Yanks it was a drag of a game to lose.

The pace of play is supposed to be faster this season, and perhaps it will be, but the Yankees vs. Red Sox, well, they’ve got their own rules to abide, don’t they? And the two teams are back at it in a few hours this afternoon.

Take two and pass.

[Photo Credit: Mikko Lagerstedt]

Those guys again. This year–no pitching, fearsome hitting.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Brett Gardner LF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Brian McCann C
Chase Headley 3B
Chris Young RF
Stephen Drew SS
Gregorio Petit 2B

And our first look at Eovaldi.

Never mind the Cavity Creeps:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

Neither was that game last night. One lousy inning was enough to sink C.C.’s first start of the year. Rodriguez and Teixeira homered but otherwise the Yankees couldn’t make good on their scoring chances and they lost, 6-3.

Let’s raise a a glass to C.C. Sabathia and his pursuit of morphing into some kind of Hot Buttered Soul Junk Pitcher in the second part of his career. If he’s 3/4 of what Andy was as an older pitcher he’ll build a nice case for the Hall of Fame. If his body doesn’t cooperate I guess it could get ugly fast and be over quick. Either way, I’m pullin’ for the big fella.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Alex Rodriguez DH

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Chase Headley 3B

Chris Young LF

John Ryan Murphy C

Gregorio Petit 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

LHP CC Sabathia

This is one raggedy-ass lineup, man. A Rod’s in the 2 hole.

Never mind the Scubbineez:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Picture Credit:“the Upside of Down” by Christopher Barbour via Rob Kalmbach]

The baseball season begins in warm, sunny places like Florida and Arizona. Then the teams move north to the cold. Last night, I flipped around and saw rain in Washington and Philly and the Bronx. Ah, April baseball.

It was not a pretty game at the Stadium last night–the fielding was rusty and you have to figure the wet and cold played a part in that–but the Yankees rallied late and beat the Jays, 4-3. Chase Headley and Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits; Michael Pineda pitched well, and so did the bullpen (though Dellin Betances was rusty).

Funny thing: Although Alex Rodriguez is now an old man,  he still gets more of a rise out of the crowd than any player on the Yanks. There were boos and cheers every time he came to bat. It’s almost as if the fans still boo him because it’s something familiar not because they’re especially vicious. After all, we’ve just begun the post-Jeter era and who knows what to make of this team? Who knows who the next heroes and villains are? Rodriguez is a sure thing. Muscle-memory says boo the sombitch. Or cheer. Rodriguez didn’t get a hit last night–he put a good swing on the ball in his third at bat, it had a good sound, but he hit it too high and in that wind no fly ball stood a chance of leaving the park–but he was booed plenty when he struck out looking in the 8th inning with the bases loaded.

Old reliable.

Chad Jennings has the recap. 

[Picture by Bags]

Man, you’ve got to have a lot of heart to be at the Stadium tonight. I can understand sitting in the cold in October, but April? Thank you, no.

Pineda goes for the Yanks and that should be fun. He’s one of the few guys on this team I’m really excited about (I guess Tanaka’s worrisome health and got me distracted from dwelling on Pineda’s worrisome health).

Be hilarious if Alex takes a knuckler deep. Be great if they can beat up R.A. Dickey and the Jays:

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Brett Gardner LF

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

Never mind the chill:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

*Post title refers to this, just cause.

[Photo Credit: The Great Saul Leiter]

Over at Grantland, Ben Lindbergh weighs in on Masahiro Tanaka’s first start and concludes:

Although on the surface the box score seems like a confirmation of Yankees fans’ worst fears, it’s possible to put a positive spin on Tanaka’s inaugural outing in 2015. Aside from his voluntary renouncement of the four-seamer, Tanaka’s stuff seemed almost the same as it was before we were worried about his elbow. He stills throws hard enough to get swings and misses with his off-speed stuff. And while Tanaka doesn’t have a great sinker, his forsaken four-seamer was worse. It’s probably too much to hope for addition by subtraction, but if Tanaka’s partially torn ligament doesn’t hurt his command,1 the new Tanaka should be a useful starter (if not an ace) for as long as his ligament lasts, even if he nibbles too much to go deep into games. Tanaka has already defied one of our fears — and his own — by avoiding surgery and surviving the spring UCL reaping so far. Now he has a chance to chart the non-fastballs frontier.

[Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg]

I didn’t see any of it and from the sounds of it, I didn’t miss a thing.

Sure, there was some impressive relief pitching, and Alex Rodriguez heard some cheers, but Masahiro Tanaka wasn’t great and the Yanks only got 3 hits.

Final Score: Jays 6, Yanks 1.

Picture by Bags.

Opening Day in the Bronx. The winter’s finally over.

Jacoby Ellsbury CF

Brett Gardner LF

Carlos Beltran RF

Mark Teixeira 1B

Brian McCann C

Chase Headley 3B

Alex Rodriguez DH

Stephen Drew 2B

Didi Gregorius SS

RHP Masahiro Tanaka

Never mind the chill in the air, folks:

Let’s Go Yank-ees!

[Photo Credit: Arthur Tress via MPD]

The Yankees starting and back-up shortstops are hurt. So they picked up a futility infielder.

As usual, the intrepid Chad Jennings has the skinny. 

[Photo Via: Lo Hud]