Not Quite The Outcome They Expected

Today in Baltimore, the Orioles managed to tag the Yankees with a thoroughly satisfying 10-5 Opening Day loss. It had the following highlights:

> CC Sabathia getting pounded when he threw the ball in the zone, and not being in the zone often enough, including a bases-loaded breaking ball walk to a lefty (woof!)

> Cody Ransom, the cut-rate third base replacement for Alex Rodriguez, booting a ball and going 0-for-3 as part of the team's strong tradition of much worse than replacement level players for their brittle and aging stars

> Caesar Izturis getting a fan-aided home run (not quite making up for Jeffrey Maier, but hey, still fun)

> Damaso Marte not getting the left-handed out that they desperately needed, which means that we'll get another week of stories of how the Yankees need another starting pitcher so that they can move Joba Chamberlain back to the bullpen for set-up work... because the richest team in baseball can't find anyone to get outs who isn't famous

> Mark Teixeira getting booed like he was a local who spurned the Orioles for more money, which is well, what he did (and frankly, given that Peter Angelos still owns the Orioles, I can't really blame him)

Now, as much as I enjoy delighting in Yankee Freakout, it's just one game. Sabathia has never been a fast starter for the year. They might get Rodriguez back by late April, and while he won't be the same guy he's been, he won't be Cody Ransom, either. Hideki Matsui went yard today, and that's an extremely useful thing. Robinson Cano had a hit and two walks today, which means he's already had his hottest April ever. The bullpen probably isn't this bad.

But if they somehow lose to Koji Uehera tomorrow? Muhahahee.