CC Sabathia's Miserable Opening Days

Things are simply getting worse for Yankee Opening Days for CC Sabathia. Since he's joined the team, he's 0-2 with three no decisions and he has yet to pitch well in an opener.

What should be of greater concern for New York is his decreasing velocity and the declining number of pitches over 90 mph.

Take a look...

2013 (L)(L, 2-8)

It was an ugly Opening Day for CC Sabathia and the Yankees as the Red Sox sent New York fans home early en route to an 8-2 victory.

Sabathia did not impress on this Opening Day against Boston lasting five innings and allowing four runs on eight hits, walking four and whiffing five. He did not allow a home run. He tossed 102 pitches at the average speed of 84.3, topping out at 91.7, with 29 pitches exceeding 90 mph. Batters swung and missed on 14 pitches.

2012 (ND) (L, 6-7)

Sabathia did not impress on this Opening Day against Tampa Bay lasting six innings and allowing five runs on eight hits, walking three and whiffing seven. He allowed two home runs. He tossed 104 pitches at the average speed of 87.4, topping out at 94.5, with 54 pitches exceeding 90 mph. Batters swung and missed on 16 pitches.

2011 (ND) (W, 6-3)

Sabathia pitched a near-minimum necessary for a Quality Start on this Opening Day against Detroit lasting six innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, walking two and whiffing seven. He allowed no home runs. He tossed 106 pitches at the average speed of 88.6, topping out at 94.7, with 68 pitches exceeding 90 mph. Batters swung and missed on 14 pitches.

2010 (ND) (L, 7-9)

Sabathia did not impress on this Opening Day against Boston lasting 5.1 innings and allowing five runs on six hits, walking two and whiffing four. He allowed no home runs. He tossed 104 pitches at the average speed of 88.7, topping out at 94.9, with 47 pitches exceeding 90 mph. Batters swung and missed on 7 pitches.

2009 (L) (L, 5-10)

Sabathia did not impress on this Opening Day against Baltimore lasting 4.1 innings and allowing six runs on eight hits, walking five and whiffing none. He allowed no home runs. He tossed 96 pitches at the average speed of 88.4, topping out at 95.4, with 54 pitches exceeding 90 mph. Batters swung and missed on 6 pitches.

In closing...

The Yanks better hope that Opening Day for CC was just another in his list of poor first starts because if this was any indication of how he has recovered from his offseason elbow surgery, the Yankee problems are much worse than anticipated.

Andrew Miller owns Robinson Cano

Andrew Miller and Bill ChuckIt's rare to find as good a batter as Robinson Cano befuddled by a pitcher, but in baseball parlance Red Sox reliever Andrew Miller owns Robby.

The Yankee lineup right now may be the worst in the AL East, but when you have Cano in the lineup, anything positive can happen.

Except when Miller is on the mound.

In the bottom of the 7th inning of Opening Day in the Bronx, amidst a sea of mediocrity, the Red Sox held a 5-2 lead. Inexplicably, Francisco Cervelli walked to lead off the inning. To the dismay of new Sox manager John Farrell,  Brett Gardner also walked, sending Cervelli to second and bringing the tying run to the plate.

After pitching coach Juan Nieves visited the mound, Eduardo Nunez was called out on strikes.

Up steps Cano, the only legitimate hitting threat in the Yankee lineup.

• Miller starts him with an 85 mph slider that breaks far outside and Cano looks helpless as he swings and misses.
• Cano then swings and misses on a four-seam fastball, again on the outside of the plate.
• On the third pitch, Miller doesn't get it where he wants and leaves the fastball on the inside of the plate, Cano gets in front of it and rips it foul.
• After a discussion with his catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Miller throws the fastball down and in the dirt, away from Cano. The next pitch is again away from Cano and the strike zone. Then on the 2-2, Miller powers it one more time and gets the swing-and-miss strikeout.

Cano, in his career, is now 1-for-10 with one single, one walk, and five strikeouts.

Over the last five seasons, including Opening Day 2013

• Cano has seen 34 pitches from Miller, 20 fastballs, 14 sliders.
• There have been 21 strikes. 
• Cano has swung at 15 and missed four.
• He's put four in play and fouled off seven.
• There have been 14 pitches in the zone with Cano chasing six with six strikes called.
• His only hit off of Miller came last season on a soft line drive to center that Cano reached for and was lucky to make contact with. It was the only line drive that Cano has managed off Miller in the last five years.

Cano has hit James Shields at a .413 pace going 31-for-75 and he's 12-for-25 (.480) against Clay Buchholz.

If they were smart, they would have an ownership discussion with Miller.

Vernon Wells to join in the New York decline

Over the last five seasons, Vernon Wells has hit .258 with 102 homers, 327 RBI, with a .306 OBP, .448 slugging pct., and .754 OPS. He has struck out 337 times in 2587 PA.

That, of course, only tells part of the of the story.

When you look at the five seasons from 2002-06, Wells hit .288 with 139 homers, 487 RBI, with a .336 OBP, .499 slugging pct., and .835 OPS. He struck out 424 times in 3328 PA.

The differences are astounding. 

Still just 34, Wells is approaching the final two years of the seven-year, $126 million contract he signed with the Jays in 2008. They traded him to the Angels before the start of the 2011 season and these two years have been awful, with Wells hitting just .222 wth 36 homers.

Wells with the Angels

Over the last two seasons, he's hit .218 against the fastball, .218 against the change-up, .155 against the curve, and .235 against the slider.

On to New York

Now, he is heading to the Yankees with the New Yorkers responsible or around $13M of the remaining two years of the contract and there are discussions being held as to whether New York can pay most of that in the 2013 season with the hope of getting under 189M prior to the start of the 2014 season.

Over the last five seasons, Wells hasn't shown much in New York, but it is better than in some other locales

Wells has hit .277 (32-118) with seven homers (six hit 2008-10) and 21 strikeouts.

Stranger things have happened, but all indications are the Yanks have not done much to improve themselves with this move, but only time will tell.