More bad signs from the Yankees rotation. Jeff Karstens, the honorary fifth starter until Chien-Ming Wang returns, threw two innings giving up six earned runs on six hits and two walks against the Tigers today. I think it is safe to say his hot spring training ended a little prematurely. Also noteworthy, Gary Sheffield hit his third home run of spring training.
If Wang was out for the season I would say this team is not good enough to even make the playoffs, but that is not the case. This is a temporary situation and while it is true Carl Pavano will more than likely be the opening day starter, it was basically a fluke due to the rotation scheduling. Unfortunately for the rest of baseball, the title of opening day starter is about as important as the outcome of these spring training games. I would expect an opening day loss; Scott Kazmir is an AL East killer and Tampa Bay's pesky lineup will probably not bode well with Pavano's knack for giving up lots of baserunners. Not to fret, the Yankees were 11-19 in both 2004 and 2005 and still won the division.
April is fixable, regardless of how poor a team performs. By the end of the season, the Yankees rotation could feature Wang, Clemens, Mussina, Pettitte and Hughes, which would make it better than any other team in baseball, barring health. Plus who knows, with Aaron Small, Shawn Chacon, Melky Cabrera and Wang himself emerging the last couple of years, this could end up being a blessing in disguise. It also helps to have a superior lineup, and what should be a very promising bullpen (Sean Henn aside, it delivered another scoreless outing in 4.1 innings). Henn would be smart not to give up three runs in any more outings as he is trying to win a spot over equally ineffective Ron Villone. Lucky for Henn, this was the first time he gave up any runs this month.
In other news, the Florida Gators appear to be on their way to another Final Four. They will be the first team since Michigan State to get to the Final Four as defending champions. If UNC, my least favorite team, beats Georgetown today, I will have three of the four Final Four teams in my bracket. If Florida somehow loses, this will officially be the most boring tournament of all time. It is now a matter of days before the Gators beat the Buckeyes in yet another national championship, which means when the Yankees win the division I will be three for three in bragging rights over Jeff.
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