Post by musicradio77 on Apr 9, 2005 13:11:45 GMT -5
Not Wright from the start
O's jolt Jaret in Yank debut
BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The full-count changeup that drifted over the plate in the third inning was a microcosm of Jaret Wright's bad night. Brian Roberts smacked the pitch off the right-field foul pole, and Wright's Yankee debut was on its way to .becoming a mess.
He left without getting an out in the fifth inning and was booed as he departed. Perhaps Yankee fans were just getting warmed up for later catcalls on an all-around ugly night that ended in a 12-5 loss to the Orioles.
Booing is in vogue at the Stadium, and Wright was treated as if he were Mariano Rivera after a blown save against Boston. Alex Rodriguez was also booed when he capped an 0-for-5 night by grounding out with the bases loaded in the eighth and Bernie Williams heard a few jeers after he ran his season-opening slide to 0-for-12.
Joe Torre seemed more understanding of fans' hooting last night than he was when they booed Rivera after the closer blew another save against the Red Sox Wednesday. "That's what happens," Torre said. "You can't give up a bunch of runs and expect any other reception. But things turn easily here."
They would for Wright if he had pitched like either of his fellow newcomers to the Yankee rotation, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano. Both had strong debuts this week, setting up a can-you-top-this of sorts. Wright couldn't.
He allowed eight hits and six runs in four-plus innings and lacked control of his low-90s fastball. Throughout the spring, Wright had command of his signature pitch, but when he threw it last night, it caught chunks of the plate instead of slivers.
"Location was the big key," Wright said. "I didn't walk guys, but there were pitches out over the plate and big league hitters are going to hit them.
"It would've been nice, the debut, to pitch well, but it didn't happen."
It didn't happen for the Yankee bullpen, either, and that could be dangerous come October. Four relievers combined to allow 10 hits and five runs in five innings.
Plenty of credit should go to the Orioles' bats. Even without the offseason addition of Sammy Sosa, they could mash, and last night Baltimore had 18 hits and easily erased a 1-0 Yankee lead. Roberts was 3-for-5 with an RBI triple and an RBI single, Luis Matos had a triple, double and single and two RBI, Miguel Tejada was 3-for-5 with two RBI and Javy Lopez had two RBI.
"You know they're going to score, it's just a matter of shutting them down," Torre said. "It's possible. You need high quality and we didn't have that."
Sidney Ponson, the Orioles' enigmatic yet talented righty, pitched into the sixth, allowing eight hits and three runs. He gave up a sac fly to Hideki Matsui in the first inning and a two-run homer to Gary Sheffield in the fifth. Derek Jeter, two days removed from a visit to the hospital after he was hit in the head by a pitch, had three hits, including an RBI single in the sixth inning that knocked out Ponson.
Matsui also hit a solo homer in the ninth, his third home run in the first four games.
It was Ponson's first start of the season because the Orioles were trying to teach him a lesson by pushing him back in the rotation after a wild winter. Ponson was arrested after punching a judge at the beach in his native Aruba and has had visa problems.
Wright, a 29-year-old righty, rebounded from shoulder surgery in 2000 and 2001 to win 15 games for Atlanta last season and signed a three-year contract with the Yankees worth $21 million over the winter.
Last night didn't go how he thought it would. But he said he understood the reaction he got from the 43,128 in attendance.
"I knew coming over here it's all performance and winning," Wright said. "It's all fine with me. If it doesn't happen for me in a game, I'll be the first one to point the finger at myself.
"I've learned in my career that everything doesn't always happen the way you want it to. I would like tonight to be different, but I'll have to get over it."
O's jolt Jaret in Yank debut
BY ANTHONY McCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
The full-count changeup that drifted over the plate in the third inning was a microcosm of Jaret Wright's bad night. Brian Roberts smacked the pitch off the right-field foul pole, and Wright's Yankee debut was on its way to .becoming a mess.
He left without getting an out in the fifth inning and was booed as he departed. Perhaps Yankee fans were just getting warmed up for later catcalls on an all-around ugly night that ended in a 12-5 loss to the Orioles.
Booing is in vogue at the Stadium, and Wright was treated as if he were Mariano Rivera after a blown save against Boston. Alex Rodriguez was also booed when he capped an 0-for-5 night by grounding out with the bases loaded in the eighth and Bernie Williams heard a few jeers after he ran his season-opening slide to 0-for-12.
Joe Torre seemed more understanding of fans' hooting last night than he was when they booed Rivera after the closer blew another save against the Red Sox Wednesday. "That's what happens," Torre said. "You can't give up a bunch of runs and expect any other reception. But things turn easily here."
They would for Wright if he had pitched like either of his fellow newcomers to the Yankee rotation, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano. Both had strong debuts this week, setting up a can-you-top-this of sorts. Wright couldn't.
He allowed eight hits and six runs in four-plus innings and lacked control of his low-90s fastball. Throughout the spring, Wright had command of his signature pitch, but when he threw it last night, it caught chunks of the plate instead of slivers.
"Location was the big key," Wright said. "I didn't walk guys, but there were pitches out over the plate and big league hitters are going to hit them.
"It would've been nice, the debut, to pitch well, but it didn't happen."
It didn't happen for the Yankee bullpen, either, and that could be dangerous come October. Four relievers combined to allow 10 hits and five runs in five innings.
Plenty of credit should go to the Orioles' bats. Even without the offseason addition of Sammy Sosa, they could mash, and last night Baltimore had 18 hits and easily erased a 1-0 Yankee lead. Roberts was 3-for-5 with an RBI triple and an RBI single, Luis Matos had a triple, double and single and two RBI, Miguel Tejada was 3-for-5 with two RBI and Javy Lopez had two RBI.
"You know they're going to score, it's just a matter of shutting them down," Torre said. "It's possible. You need high quality and we didn't have that."
Sidney Ponson, the Orioles' enigmatic yet talented righty, pitched into the sixth, allowing eight hits and three runs. He gave up a sac fly to Hideki Matsui in the first inning and a two-run homer to Gary Sheffield in the fifth. Derek Jeter, two days removed from a visit to the hospital after he was hit in the head by a pitch, had three hits, including an RBI single in the sixth inning that knocked out Ponson.
Matsui also hit a solo homer in the ninth, his third home run in the first four games.
It was Ponson's first start of the season because the Orioles were trying to teach him a lesson by pushing him back in the rotation after a wild winter. Ponson was arrested after punching a judge at the beach in his native Aruba and has had visa problems.
Wright, a 29-year-old righty, rebounded from shoulder surgery in 2000 and 2001 to win 15 games for Atlanta last season and signed a three-year contract with the Yankees worth $21 million over the winter.
Last night didn't go how he thought it would. But he said he understood the reaction he got from the 43,128 in attendance.
"I knew coming over here it's all performance and winning," Wright said. "It's all fine with me. If it doesn't happen for me in a game, I'll be the first one to point the finger at myself.
"I've learned in my career that everything doesn't always happen the way you want it to. I would like tonight to be different, but I'll have to get over it."