Yankees’ Patchwork Lineup Is No Match for Red Sox

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/04/02/sports/02yankees2_cnd/02yankees2_cnd-articleLarge.jpg" /><br /><br /><div class="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><nyt_text><div class="emActive emReady" data-key="YfwYfw" data-num="0" data-sentences="1" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em;"><span data-num="1" style="background-color: #f2f4f5;"><a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/newyorkyankees/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #666699;" title="Recent news and scores about the New York Yankees.">Yankees</a> fans waited five cold months for their team to come back to the Bronx and play baseball again, ever since a humiliating loss to the Detroit Tigers in the playoffs last October</span>.</div></nyt_text></div><div class="articleInline runaroundLeft" style="background-color: white; 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margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 12px; overflow: hidden;"></div><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Major League Baseball</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/scoreboard.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Live Scoreboard</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/standings.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Standings</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/standings_wildcard.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Wild Card</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/index.asp" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/stats.asp?file=recentinj" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Injuries</a></li></ul><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Yankees</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=schedule" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Schedule/Results</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=roster" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Roster</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=10&report=stats" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a></li></ul><h3 class="sectionHeader" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.2857em; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">Mets</h3><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px;"><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=schedule" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Schedule/Results</a></li><li style="background-image: url(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/bullet4x4.gif); background-position: 0% 0.45em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; font-size: 1.2em; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px;"><a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=roster" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Roster</a> | <a href="http://nytimes.stats.com/mlb/teamreports.asp?tm=21&report=stats" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1em; text-decoration: none;">Stats</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1.7em; margin-top: 1.5em;"><div data-key="OdiOdi" data-num="1" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Opening day is supposed to be a time of hope and renewal for a promising new season, but the Yankees carried the heavy burden of low expectations north from spring training, and nothing that happened Monday contradicted those projections.</div><div data-key="FodFod" data-num="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">For one day, at least, all the early predictions of doom came true for the Yankees, who were soundly beaten, 8-2, by their old rivals, the <a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/sports/baseball/majorleague/bostonredsox/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #666699;" title="Recent news and scores about the Boston Red Sox.">Boston Red Sox</a>, at Yankee Stadium in their 111th opening day.</div><div data-key="AeaAea" data-num="3" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">As early as the seventh inning, with the Yankees being thrashed and a cold wind spitting rain in the faces of shivering fans, there was no hesitation to bolt for the exits.</div><div data-key="TfhYMJ" data-num="4" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The fans had seen enough, and by the thousands they streamed out, convinced that their team could not weather this particular storm well. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi cited the raw conditions and the prospect of school the next morning, but a new Yankee, Vernon Wells, cited a more apt reason for the mass evacuation.</div><div data-key="AteIdb" data-num="5" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“At the end, it was ugly out, on the field and off,” he said. “I don’t blame them for heading home a little early.”</div><div data-key="TdaTda" data-num="6" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The day actually began in brilliant sunshine and 62 degrees in front of a capacity crowd announced at 49,514, the largest attendance at a home opener in the five years of the new Yankee Stadium.</div><div data-key="BitBit" data-num="7" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">But in the later innings, when it became clear that the Yankees’ patchwork offense would not make much of a dent against Red Sox pitching, and the storm front hovered overhead, the stands emptied, leaving behind a swirl of trash on the field.</div><div data-key="IIaIIa" data-num="8" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“If I’m a fan and it starts to rain, I go away, too,” said Francisco Cervelli, who knocked in the Yankees’ only two runs with a single in the fourth.</div><div data-key="TehTeh" data-num="9" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The exodus had as much to do with the score as the cold rain.</div><div data-key="TRSHfv" data-num="10" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The Red Sox pounced on Yankees starter C. C. Sabathia for four runs in the second inning and never trailed. To see Sabathia get knocked about in that one inning was sobering, as even he could not save the day. His fastball velocity was only about 91 miles per hour, but he said that his surgically repaired elbow felt fine and that he expected to build arm strength and raise the speed of his pitches over the next few starts.</div><div data-key="AyaNsg" data-num="11" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">A year ago, Sabathia might have won anyway in front of the Yankees’ potent offense. Instead, they lost an opening day home game for the first time since 1982, a span of 11 games. Not surprisingly, given the lineup, they failed to hit a home run on opening day for the first time in 14 years, ending a major league record streak.</div><div data-key="WotWot" data-num="12" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">With only two players from last year’s opening day lineup, and six players making their Yankees debuts, the Yankees managed six hits, five of them singles.</div><div data-key="IwaIwa" data-num="13" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">It was a disappointing outcome for a day that began with a mixture of dread resulting from all the Yankees injuries, and the hope that a solid pitching staff could see the Yankees through the lean times.</div><div data-key="DJMDJM" data-num="14" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and <a class="meta-per" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/alex_rodriguez/index.html?inline=nyt-per" style="color: #666699;" title="More articles about Alex Rodriguez.">Alex Rodriguez</a>, four of the team’s biggest stars, are all out with injuries.</div><div data-key="AymWhi" data-num="15" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“Anytime you’re missing those guys, you’re talking about some of the best players in the game — it’s going to be a little bit different,” Sabathia said. “But we know what we have to do and who’s not here. That’s not an excuse. We’ve had injuries last year and the year before.”</div><div data-key="AttBdn" data-num="16" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">At the theater, when a star actor is absent from a day’s performance, an insert announcing the changes to the cast is included in Playbill magazine. Baseball does not do that, but playing the role of Jeter on Monday was the backup shortstop Eduardo Nunez, and the understudy for Granderson was Wells.</div><div data-key="JNsYwh" data-num="17" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Jayson Nix started at third base in place of Kevin Youkilis, who began the day at first base because the lefty Lyle Overbay, signed only last week, was not going to be in the starting lineup against Jon Lester. Youkilis, who had the Yankees’ only extra base hit, a fourth-inning double, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/sports/baseball/yankees-introduce-kevin-youkilis-their-third-baseman-for-now.html?_r=1&" style="color: #666699;">was signed</a> to a one-year, $12 million contract in the off-season to replace Rodriguez.</div><div data-key="AhiHdn" data-num="18" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">A hip injury has Rodriguez on the disabled list. He did not spend one day at spring training, but he showed up Monday and watched parts of the game from the bench, though he chose not to be introduced before the game.</div><div data-key="TgiSfi" data-num="19" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The game itself was rather unremarkable, except for a smattering of fans rooting for the Red Sox. Sabathia fell into trouble early, and the Yankees had very few opportunities to tie it.</div><div data-key="TitTsi" data-num="20" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Trailing, 5-2, in the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees had their best chance with runners at first and second and no one out. But Nunez, Robinson Cano and Youkilis all struck out against Boston’s bullpen. The stadium immediately fell into an eerie silence, reminiscent of the one in the next-to-last game at the Stadium last October when Jeter broke his ankle.</div><div class="emReady" data-key="TwiTYh" data-num="21" data-sentences="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="color: black; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span data-num="1">That was in the 12th inning of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, more than five months ago.</span> <span data-num="2">The Yankees have yet to win a true game since</span></div></div></div>

Patchwork Lineup Yankees Yankees’ Patchwork Lineup Is No Match for Red Sox

Yankees  fans waited five cold months for their team to come back to the Bronx and play baseball again, ever since a humiliating loss to the...

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