Yankees Get First Win Of Year Out Of Way With 6-4 Win Over Boston

Great win by the Yankees last night. It wasn't the prettiest of wins but a win is a win and it was nice to see them get their first win under their belts.

The bullpen was awesome yesterday. Alfredo Aceves is quickly becoming one of my favorite Yanks. He's consistent, reliable, and gets the job done. I'm curious to see what Ace's role this year will be and how Girardi will use him. Ace can wear so many hats back there. He can pitch a few innings if needed. He could come in and get the team a key out. I feel confident that anytime we see Ace the Yanks will be in the ballgame and have a pretty good chance of winning, kind of like they did last night.

Joba last night looked a lot like the Joba of old. He had good pop on his fastball and his slider was untouchable. It was good to see the first pumping, especially since it was in Boston. I like seeing that much enthusiasm from him so early in the season. You can tell with Joba that every outing matters. I hope this is a sign of what to expect from Joba this year. If it is, consider the game over as soon as he gets the ball. Joba and Mo will be the new Mo and John Wetteland. We all know how good that tandem was.

It's always good to see Mariano on the hill. He's the G.O.A.T. and it's a joy to watch him pitch. I love watching the Sandman put the other teams to sleep, especially the Red Sox.

A.J. Burnett wasn't particularly good yesterday but he wasn't particularly bad either. He was effective but he needs to be better. His strike-to-ball ratio was decent (61.7% strikes) but he was a little wild (3 walks and a HBP) . Posada hooked him up too with by blocking some bad pitches. A.J. will get better. Not concerned about his performance or that he only lasted 5 innings. The starting pitching in this series hasn't been very effective. It's not like CC, A.J., Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are bums. Those guys will be fine. Well, maybe not Beckett. At least I hope not.

I predicted before the season started that Robinson Cano would be the AL MVP this year. He's off to a hot start. Robbie is going to excel in the 5 hole, especially if he can get by his hitting with RISP troubles. He's had a few chances with RISP this year and granted he hasn't picked up a hit, but he's had 2 productive ABs with 2 productive outs that have led to 2 RBI for Robbie. He'll hit this year with RISP. I'm confident of that. I loved seeing the late-inning bomb that was the final nail in the coffin too. Robbie has a sweet swing. I wouldn't be surprised to see him end the season with at least 30 pops.

I like that Nick Johnson walks a lot and sees a lot of pitches. Dude is truly an OBP machine. I would like to see him hit the ball though. It has only been 2 games so there's plenty of time to pick up some base knocks.

Looks like Mark Teixeira is off to another slow start. He's 0-9 thru the first 2 games. We've seen this with Tex year after year. No worries.

I don't understand why Girardi started Marcus Thames yesterday. I know he does well versus lefties. I know Jon Lester is as tough a lefty as they come. But it's the 2nd game of the year! Brett Gardner should have gotten the start.

Well gang, my lunch is about to end and I've got to get off to a meeting. Andy Pettitte v. John Lackey tonight. Sox fans have to be pretty geeked up about Lackey. I'd love to see the Yanks hammer him. It would be awesome to leave Fenway with 2 wins, wouldn't it?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie