A little more than one-week into the season, it’s fairly clear that things aren’t going easy for the Yankees. Last night’s 4-0 loss to the lowly Royals is only the latest example of why the team is 4-5 so far this year:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Johnny Damon walked to lead off Wednesday’s game, the Kansas City Royals’ first baseman, Ross Gload, greeted him this way: “Man, you guys are dropping like flies.”
Damon bantered a little about the thigh injury to Derek Jeter and the shoulder problem of Jorge Posada, but Gload knew something else: Ian Kennedy had been scratched as the Yankees’ starter. Damon looked out to the left field bullpen and was startled to see Brian Bruney warming up.
Damon soon learned that Kennedy was not hurt, and that Manager Joe Girardi had decided to use a reliever instead because of heavy rain in the forecast. “It was something that made sense,” Damon said.
But this does not make sense: After nine games, the Yankees’ offense is among the worst in the majors. The Royals’ Zack Greinke cruised through an anemic Yankees lineup for eight innings of a 4-0 victory.
The Yankees never got a runner past second base and fell to 4-5 this season. The Royals are 6-2.
“You look around and you’ve got young kids over there running around like maniacs, and we’re playing like a bunch of old men right now,” said the Yankees’ Jason Giambi, who is 1 for 18. “They’re playing good baseball. Unfortunately, we just haven’t really put anything together.”
It was the first shutout against the Yankees, but it seemed to be only a matter of time before that would happen. The Yankees have scored just 25 runs, the second-fewest in the American League, and they are hitting just .244 with no stolen bases.
It is their slowest start on offense since 1989, when they scored 24 runs in their first nine games for Dallas Green en route to an 87-loss season. They are hitting just .167 (11 for 66) with runners in scoring position.
And that’s just the beginning:
• They had errors in seven games in a row until Wednesday.
• They have no stolen bases, the first time they’ve gone this far into a season without one since 1948.
• Phil Hughes has had one good start and one bad start. Ian Kennedy has had one bad start and one relief appearance. Andy Pettitte has one bad start and another outing on Thursday.
• Kyle Farnsworth doesn’t seem to be a new man, after all. He had not pitched more than one inning since June 2, 2006. When Joe Girardi tried him for a second inning on Wednesday, John Buck launched his first pitch for a 439-foot home run.
• Derek Jeter can’t run because of a thigh injury, and Jorge Posada can’t throw because of a dead arm.
Of course, it is early in the season. Right now, the Royals are actually in first-place in the AL Central and well all know that’s not going to last for long.
