tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Act 1 Complete: Sox Win 4-0

As I stated in my Friday post, I would be happy if the Yankees came out of the weekend series with the Red Sox 1-2 which is what happened though not necessarily how I thought it would.  Last night, Josh Beckett served notice that he may be healthy as he shutdown the Yankees resulting in a 4-0 win.  But while the Yanks came out of Fenway with a win, the fact is they should have won Friday's game.  Yet, more importantly than winning 2 out of three, the weekend in Boston exhibited some disturbing signs that Yankee fans will need to keep an eye on.

Sign 1:  The starting rotation - Phil Hughes had his second terrible start and questions swirl around the 24 year old.  Where is Phil's fastball???  If the Yanks can't figure this out, it's going to be a long season.  The jury is still out on Ivan Nova.  While the kid was able to wiggle out of trouble, he had runners on base every inning he pitched.  Can the Yankees survive two starters having problems??  And we haven't seen Freddy Garcia in a starting role yet.  Is Kevin Millwood, Carlos Silva or Bartolo Colon the answer???  Oh Brother!!!

Sign 2:  The Captain - There is no bigger Derek Jeter fan than me.  And it pains me to say this, but at some point Joe Girardi may have to decide if Jeter belongs at the top of the lineup.  Jeter has not looked comfortable at the plate and in fact looks to me like he did last year.  I'm hoping he gets it going.  The Yanks need him.

Sign 3:  Jorge Posada - Despite the homers he has hit, Posada has not hit well as the DH.  With Eric Chavez looking good at Fenway, Girardi will have another tough decision if Posada doesn't start hitting.  Both Andruw Jones and Chavez have hit the ball better than Posada.  With their pitching question marks, the offense needs to be clicking more times than not.

Sign 4:  Brett Gardner - The Yankee high command believe in Brett Gardner.  I don't.  I'm not sure he's the guy to be your leadoff man.  In fact, with the way Jeter is hitting I'm not sure they have a legitimate leadoff man right now.  With the speed Gardner has, the fact that he cannot or will not bunt for a hit drives me crazy.  Last night with runners on 1st and 2nd, even if he faked a bunt he could have had the infield moving and possibly had a double steal situation. 

It's not time to panic but there are some disturbing signs on the horizon and unless corrected, it could be a long year in the Bronx.