BALTIMORE - For all the money spent to acquire an ace, it sure looked as if Sidney Ponson was out there pitching instead.
Surely, the response coming from Yankees fans is going to be one of the extreme. After spending 161 million dollars and give the title of ace to hefty lefty CC Sabathia, the team was expecting to him take the ball and dominate, much like he did for most of the season last year.
It did not happen.
Whether it a case of too many nerves or something else, the usually pinpoint Sabathia could not locate his pitches consistently in his first start in pinstripes. CC only managed to go 4 and 1/3 innings, yielding six runs in the Bombers 10-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards on Monday afternoon.
Sabathia was in trouble from the outset, putting the first two runners on base to begin the game, though he was able to escape the jam with no runs.
However, in the third inning the Orioles would get him for three runs. Adam Jones tripled to the gap in right center to bring home two runs and Nick Markakis followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
The Yankees got on the board when Johnny Damon’s sacrifice fly brought home the speedy Brett Gardner to make it 3-1.
Surely, the response coming from Yankees fans is going to be one of the extreme. After spending 161 million dollars and give the title of ace to hefty lefty CC Sabathia, the team was expecting to him take the ball and dominate, much like he did for most of the season last year.
It did not happen.
Whether it a case of too many nerves or something else, the usually pinpoint Sabathia could not locate his pitches consistently in his first start in pinstripes. CC only managed to go 4 and 1/3 innings, yielding six runs in the Bombers 10-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards on Monday afternoon.
Sabathia was in trouble from the outset, putting the first two runners on base to begin the game, though he was able to escape the jam with no runs.
However, in the third inning the Orioles would get him for three runs. Adam Jones tripled to the gap in right center to bring home two runs and Nick Markakis followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
The Yankees got on the board when Johnny Damon’s sacrifice fly brought home the speedy Brett Gardner to make it 3-1.
Unfortunately, Sabathia could not limit the damage. Having shown no control of his pitches, primarily his fastball the entire game, he would run into control problems in the bottom of the fifth inning.
An infield single to a vacated hole by Markakis and an RBI groundout by Aubrey Huff made the score 5-1. After an intentional walk to Ty Wigginton, the game was suddenly on the line for Sabathia as the bases were loaded and Luke Scott was at the plate.
Sabathia got ahead of the count quickly 0-2. Once again though, without having control of his fastball and the Orioles sitting on off-speed pitches, the big left hander threw four consecutive sliders, with each of them out of the strike zone leading to a run scoring walk to make it 6-1.
His day was over. It was a non-memorable beginning to his Yankee career. The final stat line read eight hits, six runs, five walks and no strikeouts, which is the first time it has happened since 2005.
The offense would battle back to get within one run at 6-3 in the sixth when Jorge Posada hit a mammoth homerun to dead center and Xavier Nady drove home Robinson Cano on a ground-rule double. In the seventh, a two-run homer by Hideki Matsui cut the deficit to 6-5.
In the eighth inning, the Yankees had a chance to tie the score. Pinch hitter Nick Swisher lead off with a double and pinch runner Ramiro Pena advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gardner. With the infield in a one out, Derek Jeter’s hard hit chopper found the glove of shortstop Cesar Izturis, who was playing in on the grass in order to hold Pena at third for the second out.
Damon followed with a walk and set up a showdown between off-season prize Mark Teixeira, who was booed mercifully by his hometown fans whom he spurned in free agency to sign with the Bombers in every at bat, with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, for Tex, the crowd would win this battle as he grounded out to second to end the threat.
The Orioles gained insurance in the bottom half of the inning when Izturis homered to left that appeared to be taken out of the glove of Damon who attempted to go into the stands to make the catch. Huff’s two run double concluded made it 10-5, as the Birds were able to win their home opener to the delight of their fans.
The 48,706 fans were the largest ever for an Orioles home opener at Camden Yards.
Both teams have an off day Tuesday and resume on Wednesday night when Chien Ming Wang returns from his season ending foot injury against Koji Uehara.
An infield single to a vacated hole by Markakis and an RBI groundout by Aubrey Huff made the score 5-1. After an intentional walk to Ty Wigginton, the game was suddenly on the line for Sabathia as the bases were loaded and Luke Scott was at the plate.
Sabathia got ahead of the count quickly 0-2. Once again though, without having control of his fastball and the Orioles sitting on off-speed pitches, the big left hander threw four consecutive sliders, with each of them out of the strike zone leading to a run scoring walk to make it 6-1.
His day was over. It was a non-memorable beginning to his Yankee career. The final stat line read eight hits, six runs, five walks and no strikeouts, which is the first time it has happened since 2005.
The offense would battle back to get within one run at 6-3 in the sixth when Jorge Posada hit a mammoth homerun to dead center and Xavier Nady drove home Robinson Cano on a ground-rule double. In the seventh, a two-run homer by Hideki Matsui cut the deficit to 6-5.
In the eighth inning, the Yankees had a chance to tie the score. Pinch hitter Nick Swisher lead off with a double and pinch runner Ramiro Pena advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gardner. With the infield in a one out, Derek Jeter’s hard hit chopper found the glove of shortstop Cesar Izturis, who was playing in on the grass in order to hold Pena at third for the second out.
Damon followed with a walk and set up a showdown between off-season prize Mark Teixeira, who was booed mercifully by his hometown fans whom he spurned in free agency to sign with the Bombers in every at bat, with a chance to tie the game. Unfortunately, for Tex, the crowd would win this battle as he grounded out to second to end the threat.
The Orioles gained insurance in the bottom half of the inning when Izturis homered to left that appeared to be taken out of the glove of Damon who attempted to go into the stands to make the catch. Huff’s two run double concluded made it 10-5, as the Birds were able to win their home opener to the delight of their fans.
The 48,706 fans were the largest ever for an Orioles home opener at Camden Yards.
Both teams have an off day Tuesday and resume on Wednesday night when Chien Ming Wang returns from his season ending foot injury against Koji Uehara.
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