The game of adjustments begins for two young Jays sluggers and the Rays send a message at Fenway.
As the Blue Jays get ready to head out onto their first road trip of the 2009 season, I thought I'd pass on some of my observations from around baseball.
-- Blue Jays young sluggers Adam Lind and Travis Snider showed they can hit the fastball during the opening night taming of the Tigers, combining to go 6 for 9 with a double, two home runs and seven RBI. Then the opposition changed the strategy, keeping them off balance with off-speed stuff over the next two games. The result: 0 for 13 with five strikeouts. As Pat Tabler aptly put it, the game of adjustments begins for a couple of young players expected to help fuel the offence.
-- In a season where proving that 2008 was no fluke, the Tampa Bay Rays put in a real “we ain't going anywhere” statement game after losing the opener at Fenway. Scott Kazmir grossly out-pitched Jon Lester, whose name I saw in several pre-season magazines as a potential Cy Young award candidate. I'll be surprised if they aren't one of the two teams to come out of the A.L. East for the playoffs this season. They are younger, more athletic and, quite frankly, a better team than the Yankees.
-- Now we'll get to see what A.J. Burnett is made of. CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang combined for 8.0 IP, 17 hits, 13 ER, eight walks, zero Ks as the Yankees dropped their first two games of the season to the lowly Orioles. Burnett's task is simple: Go lights out as if he's pitching for a contract, or the Yanks start into an early tailspin that may set the tone for their magical, first season in the 'House That George (Costanza) Built.’
-- Nice to see Jamie Campbell's good pal Gregg Zaun get starts in the first two games and hit a double in each. 'Zaunie' better enjoy every ounce of playing time he gets this season until uber-prospect Matt Wieter arrives from Triple-A sometime in May to take over the spot behind the dish for the next six years at least.
-- Just what baseball didn't need to start its season: Drunken louts causing a nine-minute delay and a threat of forfeiture in Toronto. And then in Anaheim, the even worse news that a fan succumbed to his injuries after reportedly getting suckered from behind during a fight following Monday's opener. Bad enough that this game is going to suffer from the fact that people just don't have the disposable income to take in a ballgame, but now they have to worry for their safety because fans get over-served and lose whatever semblance of respect they have for their fellow man.
-- Cincinnati seems to be in a similar situation as the Jays. Young sluggers Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are expected to carry a lot of the load after Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. were sent on their way. Both have not disappointed so far, and with the Reds young pitching improving daily, this team might be the sleeper of the National League this season.
-- Outside of watching him perform with the Florida Marlins on TV in the playoffs and one season with the Tigers, Miguel Cabrera -- who quietly led the American League in home runs last season -- certainly has shown me what all the fuss is about. He hit a pair of bombs off Jesse Litsch and the Blue Jays on Wednesday night and might be the best pure slugger this side of Albert Pujols. With teammate Brandon Inge hitting home runs in the first three games of the season, the Tigers appear to have more than enough offence and if their young pitching can keep pace, Detroit could easily sit atop of the average A.L. Central.
-- Speaking of the Marlins, I got to see the newest edition at the end of spring training, and I have to say that every team should be envious of their young slugging infield. Like many other teams, if the Marlins get any semblance of pitching, they could be in the rear view mirrors of the Phillies and Mets all season long.
-- A lot was made of the Rangers asking an all-star shortstop to slide over to third base to make room for 20-year-old prospect Elvis Andrus. So far so good with Andrus hitting his first career MLB home run on Wednesday. With Gold Glover and future Hall-of-Famer Omar Vizquel sitting on the bench as a back-up/mentor, the sky appears to be the limit for Andrus.
-- The new Mets bullpen, former Mariners closer J.J. Putz in the set-up role and record-holding closer Francisco Rodriguez as the closer, is paying instant dividends. Two saves in two games for K-Rod, two holds for Putz, and of equal importance, two holds also for Sean Green to help turn the game into a six-inning affair for the Mets rotation. That will go a long way towards keeping the Mets from falling into any type of funk like the ones that caused them to wilt down the stretch the last two seasons.
