Yankees Win Ugly, 12-9

It sure wasn't pretty, and Phil Hughes still has some location issues to sort out, but the Yankees muscled out another high-scoring affair, 12-9 over the Pirates.  The starting offense was tremendous, and the subs produced another late-innings comeback this week.  Pitchers such as Igawa and Ohlendorf continue to be enigmatic adventures.  Yet a win is a win is a win.

To accentuate the positives first, the offense cranked out 17 hits, pummeling Matt Morris for 13 hits and 8 runs through 4 innings, and long-time Yankees friend Byung-Hyun Kim for another 3 hits and 4 runs in the 8th to erase a 9-8 deficit.  Abreu and A-Rod were each 2-4, and each have 8 RBIs this Spring.  Abreu is batting .467 and A-Rod an even .500.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  Jorge is starting to warm up, going 3-4 with a second-inning homer. Giambi was 2-3, hitting the ball hard through the shift to raise his average to .407.  Matsui is rounding into form, going 2-3 and lacing a double to right, upping his average to .375.  Chad Moeller and Nick "The Stick" Green smacked 8th inning homers off Mr. Generosity Kim.  Clearly though it is still Spring, the offense is not a problem.

Pitching, on the other hand, has faltered in the last week or so.  Hughes struggled for the second straight start, failing to locate his fastball.  This resulted in three solo homers in the first two innings as a result of missing up and over the plate.  While the wind has been blowing out big-time the last few games, Hughes made lots of mistakes.  He issued two walks and struck out three, looking good at times especially by fanning the dangerous Jason Bay twice.  Hughes's off-speed pitches improved as the game proceeded, keeping hitters off-balance and lunging to foul off breaking balls.  But his fastball was again the problem.  Good velocity, bad location.  He appears fresh as far as pitch speed, so I suspect it's something mechanical--stride, release point--based on my long and distinguished career as a pitching coach.  Personally, I'd love to see Hughes develop a split-finger fastball. It would fool a lot of hitters, especially because his fastball is very straight.

Igawa didn't surrender a run in his inning, but he gave up two hits and a walk, clearly not efficient.  Ohlendorf allowed a hit and a walk in his inning.  Neither is making a good case to make the team at this point.  Traber wasn't so good either, but was plagued by A-Rod's throwing error on a sure DP ball as well as his own control problems.  He's still way ahead of Igawa in my opinion, and has good numbers against lefties.  Kudos to LaTroy Hawkins, who has not allowed an earned run through 7 Spring Training innings.  That signing will be well worth watching this season.  So far, so good.

Mike's boy Brett Gardner was 1-4, but had a honey of a bunt single that landed him on second after a throwing error.  Ensberg is having a nice Spring at the plate, but I have to confess that Mike and Mike Sommer make sound cases for Gardner.  If the Yanks genuinely want him to develop, he should play daily at Scranton.  But the kid adds some jazz to the Yanks, no question.  His speed is excellent, his bunt was perfectly located, he can steal, and he gives the Yankees bench speed.  I'd still rather seem him develop through regular play, but it's getting harder to say send him down when he's genuinely adding components to the team.  [Methinks I hear Mike sharpening his carving knife for the platter of crow...]

Lest I forget, Mike's comment on the previous post about Meacham's suspect calls at third was extremely important.  According to Mike, there were a few poor and indecisive calls from Meacham at third--not for the first time this Spring--that could have cost the Yanks.  I saw one, when A-Rod was sent home (I believe he was, though maybe he went through the sign) on a bloop over third and would have been dead to rights had there been someone covering third.  Instead, he got back.  I didn't notice the others as I furiously typed notes and listened to the FAUX Sports announcers repeatedly diminish the pounding the Yankees laid on poor Matt Morris by insisting that most of their 13 hits off him were "soft" and "not hard hit."  I guess the fact that the ball failed to actually sail through the wall or a player's body was indicative of the Yankees' not sufficiently earning their runs.  Anyway, Mike is right again--Meacham has been wobbly at best this Spring.  Third base coaches should above all things be aggressive, decisive, and accurate, no mean feat but nonetheless essential to the job.  Bowa was for the Yankees, and is the best in the business in my opinion.  The Yankees lost a key guy when Bowa left after 2007, and Meacham needs to get things straightened out and fast.  I can only imagine what the terrific Geoff at the BPS is thinking, if he's been watching and reading about Meacham's escapades.  He'll be on that like ugly on this writer.

At the end of the night, it's Spring.  While I loved watching several innings of the game before heading off to wind things down with the family tonight, nothing tonight got me too exercised.  Hughes will struggle at times this year, as will the other kids.  Count on it.  That's normal.  At least he's working hard, understanding what he needs to improve, and is working out like a horse with the other kids, Pettite and Hawkins.  Spring is all about honing the craft, re-affirming good habits, and seeing the game with clarity.  It's coming with the 2008 Yankees--some facets certainly more than others.  But come it will.