So after being distracted for the last two hours watching this Osama thing I finally had time to put together this week’s Nate’s Takes. Last week, I predicted the Yankees would go 5-2. Instead they went 4-3 thanks to Rafael Soriano and some ridiculous catches by Brent Lillibridge. If you also remember I correctly predicted that Nick Swisher would hit his first home run of the season versus the White Sox. I was also a week late on the Kevin Millwood prediction. He can go take his 85 mph fastballs somewhere else.
Overall the Yankees stand at 16-9, which is first place in the AL East. So why does it still not seem like the Yankees are not on top of their game? With Jorge Posada, Swisher, Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter struggling it seems as though the offense has not lived up to expectations (although they have hit a lot of homeruns). With Soriano and Mariano Rivera blowing more games in April than expected it seems as though the Yankees should have a few more wins. With that said, here is what I have for the week.
Can C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ian Nova, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia survive all season as the Yankees five starters? I can’t remember the last time the Yankees went through a season with the same five starters in April and September.
Curtis Granderson has the third most home runs in baseball since he changed his swing to two-handed. Combine that with his fantastic defensive metrics and you have a great baseball player. If he could only get on base at a slightly higher mark then we would be talking about a superstar.
It is a big day for Phil Hughes Monday. Why do I have a bad feeling he is going to be done for the year?
I still don’t see Nova being a good major league starter. Seventeen strikeouts in 28 innings doesn’t impress me and he consistently has base runners every game. His starts basically come down to whether or not batters hit a ground ball at an infield with people on base. He reminds me of a bad version of Chien-Ming Wang (who I still miss by the way).
Joe Girardi managed the bullpen this month like he never has before. Although they only played 24 games in April, so it doesn’t really bother me. Look for relievers to get plenty of rest in May.
Is anyone else excited Francisco Cervelli is back? Although I think he is planning on toning down the fist pumps this year.
That’s all I have for this week. Yankees take on the Tigers for Granderson’s first (home) reunion since being traded for Austin Jackson. Honestly I can’t wait to see Colon try to beat Justin Verlander. The Yankees then go to Texas to play the pesky Rangers. I can see the Yankees going 4-3 on this road trip. My prediction of the week: Jeter hits his first home run in Texas. Enjoy the road trip!
