Pettitte Brilliant, Pitches Yanks Past Royals 4-1

Hey ho what do you know? Yankees win. The Yankees win. Andy Pettitte pitched a brilliant game today. The Royals really couldn't touch him. 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks. Good stuff. He very well could have pitched a shutout if not for Nick Swisher's fielding blunder. Nick has to catch that ball. And he definitely has to make a better throw than he did. That was horrible. Andy Pettitte as the Yankees 4th starter? I kind of like it. Is he the best 4th starter in the game? Yeah, he probably is. He should do very well this year assuming he continues to match up against inferior starters, like Sir Sidney Ponson.

Speaking of Sidney, how did the Yankees not hammer him? I was driving home from work, listening to the first inning on the radio. They jumped all over him in the 1st but could never quite deliver the knockout punch. Props to Sidney for hanging in there. While I'm talking about the Royals, can anyone tell me how Kyle Farnsworth pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side? Where was that when he was with the Yankees? I so wanted to see them bomb him.

Robbie Cano equals hot. Cody Ransom equals not. Robbie, who always starts out slow, is off to the best start of his career. As a comparison, through his 1st 4 games in 2005, Cano was 2 for 14 with zero walks. In '06, he was 3 for 16 with zero walks. In '07, he was 7 for 18 with no walks. In '08, he was 1 for 15 with no walks. After today's game, Robbie is 8 for 14 with 4 walks. Talk about unexpected. I love it. Cody Ransom on the other hand, yeah, he blows. I thought he'd be doing better than 1 for 14. And what the heck was he (and Nicky Swish for that matter) doing running for 3rd on a ball hit in front of him? Isn't that like one of the 1st you things you learn when it comes to running the bases? If the ball is hit in front of you, don't go? If I were Brian Cashman, I'd be out looking for something else. Package Nady and Melky for a 3B. Should be easy to do., right? Get on it Cash and get well soon Alex.

It looks like Brian Bruney is the 8th inning guy. I'm a big fan of that move, especially if he pitches like he did tonight. The bridge to Mariano just got a little stronger. Mariano was typical Mariano. He should have pitched a 1-2-3 9th if not for a misplay by Cano. How was that not an error? The pen has now thrown 10 scoreless innings. I'm expecting big things from those guys.

I'll end this post with a reminder: don't forget that tomorrow is Global Yankees Jersey Day. In short, wear a Yankees jersey tomorrow. Let's make it happen.

CC makes start #2 tomorrow. I'm looking for him to bounce back. I'm hoping for 6 and a third, 7 hits, 2 ER, 8 Ks. I definitely don't want to see a repeat performance of his first start.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie