Yanks fall, but A-Rod on track for 81 homers

Fans will see more of the same after Wednesday

Last night's game seems a fitting sequel to Opening Night, because it's likely Yankee fans can expect a little of both this season.

Whereas the opener provided a paint-by-numbers template of the ideal Yankee game -- the Wang-Joba-Mariano pitching combo working to near-perfection -- last night's 5-2 setback provided what's more likely to happen between Wang's starts: nail-biting pitching, roll-the-dice defense, and the occasional home run to keep things manageable.

Grades

Mike Mussina: Despite the loss, Yankee fans will take what they got from Mussina (he wasn't god-awful, as many feared he might be). Moose was sturdy through five and two-thirds innings; only the Vernon Wells home run in the third inning made him look like the Moose of 2007.

Mussina got a lot of help from double plays (the Yankees turned five on the night, three with Mussina on the hill), and occasionally got a generous strike call at the plate from umpire Jerry Meals. A Jason Giambi error to open the game was a bad omen, and the Jays did score two runs in the inning, but by and large Moose managed the trouble spots without letting the game get out of hand.

For the night, 62 of his 91 pitches found the plate, so, if he was not spectacular, he was at least efficient, which is about all Yankee fans want from him in 2008.

Grade: a solid B

The Bullpen: LaTroy Hawkins made his first appearance, and wasn't terrible. He got a one-pitch out in relief of Moose to end the sixth, then allowed two hits and gave up a run in the seventh. Kyle Farnsworth relieved in the eighth and allowed two hits, the second a Lyle Overbay triple that probably should have been caught by Melky Cabrera at the centerfield wall. Farnsworth stranded Overbay by striking out Aaron Hill to end the inning. In the ninth, Ross Ohlendorf opened by nailing Marcos Scutaro, but got out of the inning behind New York's fifth double play of the night.

All in all, little harm was done, which is what these three guys are there to do. But Hawkins brings the grade down a half-notch, but only just. His 14-for-16, stikes-to-pitches-thrown ratio was astounding.

Grade: a workmanlike B-

Defense: Five double plays kept this game from being (at least) 8-2 instead of 5-2. Those five, flawless turns alone would warrant an A+, but Giambi's opening error -- booting a grounder from David Eckstein, then deciding too late not to toss it to a covering Mussina and being beaten to the bag by a hustling Eckstein -- got the ball rolling for Toronto. Giambi nearly made a similar gaffe later on, but recovered and made the out. His one redeeming moment came in the fifth when he kept his toe on the bag while diving to the dirt to snag an errant throw from Derek Jeter. The ensuing out ended the inning, giving Mussina his only three-up, three-down frame.

Elsewhere, Melky Cabrera failed to produce the highlights of Opening Night, which can't be expected every game. But on Overbay's triple, Cabrera wasn't under the ball the way he could have been.

And finally, Abreu's throw to the plate in the seventh was....... off line, just a tad. Ugly, is what it was.

Grade: the five DPs can't be ignored; A-

The Offense: A-Rods' home run was the single highlight, as Jays starter A.J. Burnett was sizzling Wednesday night. The Yankees managed six singles, but never strung together more than two in a row. Jason Giambi's ninth-inning fly would have tied the game at 5-all, but a wind in excess of 20 mph kept the ball on the warning track in left center.

On the bases, Abreu was caught stealing in the first inning, and in the fourth, Jeter was thrown out at second trying to advance after a throwing error allowed him to reach first. Manager Joe Girardi's take-the-extra-base policy needs a little fine-tuning.

Not a terrible night, but not the opportunistic Yankees we'll probably see by the end of the month. And several of the seven strikeouts were just plain awful to watch.

Grade: a wobbly C.

Manager: With Giambi semi-struggling in the field, why not bat Shelley Duncan or Morgan Ensburg against the right-handed Brian Tallet in the seventh inning? Giambi was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Tallet, and he whiffed again Wednesday night.

And letting Jeter try for second after the throwing error...? That ball that got away was not of the kind that would allow Jeter to make that turn successfully. Technically, it's Tony Pena's job to be on top of that situation, but the buck stops with the big man.

Otherwise, not much Girardi could do to overcome Burnett's efficiency.

Grade: B

Mussina has much to prove

It's time for Yankee fans to hold their collective breath. Mike Mussina is about to take the hill.

It might seem unfair to heap so much doubt on a veteran with 254 career wins, but Mussina has done nothing over the past twelve months to earn any benefit of the doubt. His 11-10 record and 5.15 ERA over 28 starts last season, and his increasing number of early exits -- Mussina averaged fewer than six innings per start last season -- cause concern for Yankee fans who do not want to see the bullpen taxed early, especially when the Yankees have one off day before May 5.

That concern is exacerbated when Yankee fans realize that manager Joe Girardi has a strict innings cap on his young starters, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes. With the bullpen already slated to cover the back innings when the rookies start, Mussina is going to be counted on to log 185-200 innings this season. That seems an unlikely mountain for Moose to climb.

But there's a reason they play the games: numbers on paper are as meaningful as a LaTroy Hawkins spring outing ("it don't mean shit, dude"). The Yankees are riding high after last night's thriller over the Blue Jays. Let's hope Mussina can keep the party going, and keep the bullpen rested.

The numbers

If anyone is going to send Mussina to an early shower, it's going to be the Big Hurt.

Frank Thomas could go to Cooperstown on his numbers vs. Mussina alone. Thomas is .375 (30-for-80) with nine home runs and 21 RBI off Moose. But Thomas isn't the only Blue Jay batter with a good history of teeing off on Mussina.

Shannon Stewart has a healthy but not superhuman .295 average against Moose, but of his 18 hits, nine are for extra bases, with a triple and a home run. Vernon Wells (.345, 2 HR), David Eckstein (.571, 4-for-7), and Aaron Hill (.313) will team up with Thomas to make life tough on today's Yankee starter.

For Yankee hitters, it's feast or famine off Blue Jays starter A.J. Burnett. Here are the numbers for today's probable lineup:

J. Damon -- .154/.267/.385, 2-for-13, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO
D. Jeter -- .357/.471/.571, 5-for-14, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO
B. Abreu -- .325/.462/.450, 13-for-40, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 11 BB, 12 SO
A. Rodriguez -- .357/.357/.857, 5-for-14, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 SO
J. Giambi -- .300/.364/.300, 3-for-10, 1 BB, 2 SO
R. Cano -- .222/.222/.222, 2-for-9, 2 SO
J. Posada -- .083/.214/.083, 1-for-12, 2 BB, 4 SO
H. Matsui -- .333/.556/.333, 2-for-6, 3 BB, 2 SO
M. Cabrera -- .091/.091/.091, 1-for-11, 1 SO