The Yankees are facing Roy Halladay today, and on a good day, that’s a tough proposition. Today, though, is seemingly not a very good day for the Yankees. Derek Jeter is out with what is being called a pulled oblique; Kevin Cash is taking his first Yankee swings today; and Brett Gardner is in the lineup for Nick Swisher. Ouch.
Outside of the weak Yankee lineup, the pitching match-up has provided fodder for thought. A.J. Burnett is making his first start in Toronto since opting out of his contract last winter, and he’s facing his ground ball-tossing mentor Halladay. Burnett is off to a rocky start with the Yanks. He may be 2-0 but his 5.26 ERA is none too impressive. Since winning his first two outings, he’s gone 0-0 with a 6.66 ERA. How devilish.
Roy Halladay is doing what Roy Halladay does best. He has a league-leading six wins and a 3.29 ERA. He’s allowed just one walk per start and has a 2.36 ground out-to-fly out ratio. That’s a flat-out Wangian number right there.
The Blue Jays meanwhile are in first place atop the AL East, and this is their first game against an intra-division rival. Joe profiled the Blue Jays earlier today.
Gardner CF
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Cano 2B
Cabrera RF
Cash C
Pena SS
Burnett P
Injury Notes: Ian Kennedy had his aneurysm surgery today. He will take six-to-eight weeks off before throwing…Brian Bruney threw with no problems yesterday. He will toss from a mound tomorrow and could be off on a rehab assignment within a week…Chien-Ming Wang is pitching tonight for Scranton. You can follow the action and watch the game via MiLB.com. While the Yankees would love to get him back into the rotation, Brian Cashman has said that Wang will not be rushed. The Yanks want him strong, healthy and effective before activating him.