Oh, April, you cruel temptress. Annually, mercilessly, you make fools of us all.
Or at least all of us who follow baseball.
The Mall of America’s South Bronx outlet, known to many as Yankee Stadium, opens its 2012 schedule this afternoon, as the Yankees take on Albert Pujols and the Angels. We watched the Yankees kick things off with a schizophrenic road trip — three straight losses to the dangerous Rays, followed by three consecutive victories over the putrid Orioles.
It’s virtually impossible to take these six games, representing 3.7 percent of the baseball schedule, and make sense of them. But we want to try, right? What’s the fun in waiting patiently for the season to play out?
Let’s go through some of the items of concern and render our verdicts, primarily gut calls, of “Shrug it off” and “Don’t shrug it off.”
Alex Rodriguez. It’s easy to forget that A-Rod put together a strong first half last season, tallying a .372 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage with 13 homers before falling apart physically.
That he has looked terrible so far, putting up just four hits in 29 at-bats and generally seeming out of sync at the plate, has understandably raised some eyebrows.
But even if Alex Rodriguez can get going, and that wouldn’t be a surprise, the larger question remains: Can he stay in one piece long enough to justify his cleanup spot in the Yankees’ lineup? Or will Joe Girardi have to renovate the heart of his order again, so soon after demoting Mark Teixeira?
Verdict: Don’t shrug it off
CC Sabathia. Having outlasted the Orioles in 12 innings Tuesday night, exhausting their bullpen in the process, the Yankees didn’t call up a re-enforcement from the minor leagues Wednesday because of their faith in Sabathia, their ace and workhorse.
The big lefty didn’t pitch disastrously, yet he departed in a 4-3 hole after lasting six innings, throwing 112 pitches just to get that far. And this marked an improvement from his Opening Day start at Tampa Bay, when he allowed five runs in six innings.
Throw in his shaky second half from last year and … nah, I’m still not buying it. Sabathia’s career March/April ERA is 4.18, the worst of any month. Like his fellow 2009 arrival Teixeira, he starts slowly. His 15 strikeouts in 12 innings indicate he will turn back to his old self in due time.
Verdict: Shrug it off.
Hiroki Kuroda. He will start today’s home opener hoping to rebound from a highly discouraging Yankees debut. Last Saturday in Tampa Bay, the Rays knocked around the right-hander for six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Other contending American League teams saluted the Yankees for signing the 37-year-old, and Dodgers personnel were saddened by Kuroda’s departure. Few regard him as someone propped up by the National League West.
Having written that … no one would deny just what a leap it represents to go from the NL West’s pitcher-friendly ballparks, favorable weather and underwhelming lineups to the AL East’s fierce lineups, hitters’ havens, early cold and summer humidity.
He will probably be OK. Yet, you still want to see it.
Verdict: Don’t shrug it off.
Mariano Rivera. Were you worried on Opening Day? Were you less worried after watching him the last two games, in particular, of the Baltimore series?
The Yankees’ closer, in likely his last season, expresses amusement when a bad game or two prompts people to wonder about his long-term effectiveness. That’s because Rivera always gets the last laugh.
Verdict: Shrug it off.
Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances. The health and competence of the Yankees’ big-league starting pitchers will dictate whether they tap their top two young arms for help. Nevertheless, these two guys aren’t very worthy of promotions so far this year.
The left-hander Banuelos lasted just two innings yesterday in his start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has allowed six runs and seven walks over 5 1/3 innings (thanks to Baseball America for the heads up). Betances, the right-hander, has given up 10 runs and seven walks in 8 1/3 innings.
Like with their major-league counterpart Sabathia, there is plenty of time to climb back. These guys, though, don’t have Sabathia’s track record, so it’s natural to wonder.
Verdict: Don’t shrug it off.
kdavidoff
@nypost.com