I was impressed with last night's victory. Prior to the game, I thought we'd just smash this retread SP and get a good pitching performance from Sabathia to take it. Well, it didnt turn out that way. We got just enough off Tallet and Matsui got just enough on the ball from Carlson (pride of Berlin, CT). But regardless, after getting embarassed in our house, losing 5 straight, things are starting to look up.
Starting with the offense. NY is 8th in the bigs in runs scored, 8th in OBP, 2nd in SLG, and 4th in OPS. Well, ladi da right? Well, not exactly. Coming into this yr, there was significant concern over Swisher, Matsui, Cano, Melky and Posada returning to form. Well, all of them have to this point. Posada's OPS is .987, Swisher's is .949, Cabrera's is .911, Cano's is .848, and Matsui's is .822. Now, I dont expect them all to stay that high. But the fact that we are hitting so well without much contribution from Teixeira (.757) or ARod (.566) is telling. If we can keep some semblance of the production above when Tex and ARod start hitting like they know how, this team will be an offensive juggernaut.
Second, the starters have started to hit their stride, sans Hughes. I feel bad for Phil. He comes out, dominates, sets an expectation, then lays 2 eggs out there in a row. He is not ready yet, IMO and hopefully he just doesnt get killed out there tonight. Other than him, Pettitte, Burnett, CC, and Joba have all gone 6+ in their last start and over the last 5 starts from this quartet, they have gone 35.2IP. Thats impressive. If CC, Pettitte, and Burnett continue to spin 6-7+IP performances, this team will be in great shape. And with Wang rounding back into form and set for arrival in 6 days, this rotation is ready to give length.
Third, our bullpen is starting to round into a semblance of form, sort of. Mo is back to being Mo. Phil Coke has stepped in as the setup man. Aceves has stepped in as the long man. And Bruney has been throwing without pain. Thats about it. Alby, Edwar, Veras and Co. seem to continue to have trouble. If Marte and Bruney come back healthy, this bullpen has a chance to be solid. If not, then we'll need the starters to continue to give length, so the ball can be handed right to Coke or Mo. And right now, they have thrown 7.1IP of scoreless relief over the last 4 games, so maybe a semblance of hope is coming.