Offensive Woes Continue, Yankees Need New Manager

I keep expecting the Yankees to have an offensive breakout and so far my wishes have gone unfulfilled. Just when you think they're standing on the verge of getting it on, they digress. They've had their chances and have shown some signs of life, but by and large they have collectively stunk up the joint. A-Rod and Abreu have been the only real consistent performers and even they have come up short in big spots. Is it me or do they sometimes make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young? I can understand not racking up a lot of runs against a trio like Halladay, Burnett, and McGowan, but come on, they can't knock around Andy Sonnanstine and Edwin Jackson? I know it's early. I know the season is only 5 games old. It's just puzzling to watch. It doesn't seem like they're playing their game. They're not seeing pitches and working counts. It seems like they're being aggressive at the plate and it's not paying off. I've seen a lot of long swings. I have to disagree with a comment John Flaherty made about Shelley Duncan's plate appearance with the bases loaded. He mentioned he was seeing good swings from Shelley. I'm not sure what game he was watching because I couldn't disagree more. Duncan tries way to hard to crush the ball. He seems totally off balance and he never seems to have his feet where they should be when his swing is over. We need base hits in those big spots. Keep the line moving and the runs will come. We don't need 6-run homers.

I thought Pettitte pitched alright all things considered. His only real mistake was the pitch that Gomes hit out. Shelley Duncan didn't do anybody any favors by throwing the ball into left field. The Yankees are going to suffer dearly if they can't get a first baseman that can make the throw to second base. Yesterday, Giambi almost did the same thing but lucky for him Jeter was able to hold the bag while making the catch. It wasn't a great outing by Pettitte but he looked pretty good out there. He kind of burned out there around the end of the 4th. Understandable considering his shortened spring training. The real question is how will Andy feel tomorrow? Fingers are crossed that he feels good.

How about that Brian Bruney? He looked real good, striking out 4 over 2 hitless innings. Brian Bruney's success as major league pitcher will entirely depend on his ability to keep the ball over the plate. If Bruney has good control, he'll dominate. His struggles have always revolved around poor control. He's got great stuff and I think he'll do very well this year. Shedding 20 pounds didn't hurt.

Ohlendorf looked good also. He's got some nasty stuff. I was surprised Aybar took him yard. I'm not even close to lumping Ohlie in the same boat as Farnsworth and Hawkins. If I'm Joe Girardi I'd look to use guys like Bruney and Ohlendorf in close games. The bridge to Mariano should start with Bruney, Traber and Ohlendorf and not with Hawkins and Farnsworth. Maybe Hawkins can work his way up that pecking order, but Farnsworth? Never.

The Yankees are lucky to be 2-3. Their record could very well be 0-5. Tomorrow isn't going to be a walk in the park as James Shields gets the call for the Rays. The Yankees should be able to hit him, but if they don't, Wang better be on his A-game. He's the ace. He's the stopper. He's the guy that's supposed to stop losing streaks.

Oh yeah: Fire Rob Thomson! Get well soon skip.

J-Boogie