BALTIMORE — CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira are locks to improve on their miserable Opening Day performances against the Orioles.
The same can’t be said about the Yankees’ band of relievers in front of Mariano Rivera.
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Jonathan Albaladejo, Phil Coke, Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte faced 17 batters in Monday’s 10-5 loss to the lowly O’s and allowed nine of them to reach base via six hits and three walks.
When spring training started, there were questions about Cody Ransom replacing Alex Rodriguez at third, Brett Gardner starting in center, and if Joba Chamberlain would hold up as a starter.
But the biggest question was the bullpen, because outside of Marte, there wasn’t a lot of experience.
Bruney is being asked to work as Rivera’s set-up man, something he has never done. Albaladejo had 21 games in the big leagues when he relieved Sabathia on Monday. Coke had 12 games when he took over for Albaladejo.
Bruney checked in with 186 games, but never more than the 58 he logged as a Yankee in 2007. Edwar Ramirez, who wasn’t used Monday, has 76 games in two big-league seasons.
“We were down 6-5, and you know you had a last chance to get on top and get Mo in the game, but that didn’t happen,” Jorge Posada said of the situation the Yankees faced going into the home eighth.
Instead of keeping the deficit at a run, Coke (disputed two-run homer to Cesar Izturis), Bruney (two walks and a single) and Marte (two-run double to Aubrey Huff) allowed four runs that put away the game for the Orioles.
Any eighth-inning collapse fuels the fire that Chamberlain return to the set-up role he dominated in two seasons ago.
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According to GM Brian Cashman and pitching coach Dave Eiland, Sabathia applying a heating pad to his midsection in between innings Monday is normal.
Cashman said Sabathia does it when the weather is cold.
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Chien-Ming Wang and Koji Uehara face each other for the first time as big leaguers tonight, but it’s not the first time the Asian right-handers will pitch in the same game.
Wang, hurling for Taiwan, and Uehara, for Japan, faced off in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Wang didn’t figure in the decision.
It will be Wang’s first start since June 15, when he suffered a season-ending Lisfranc sprain and a torn tendon in the right foot running the bases.
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Several of the Yankees’ traveling party visited the White House yesterday while President Obama was in Europe.
Joe Girardi didn’t make the trip, but his coaching staff joined players Nick Swisher, Xavier Nady, Joba Chamberlain, Jonathan Albaladejo, Phil Coke, Edwar Ramirez, Jose Veras, Cody Ransom and Ramiro Pena.