Chase Wright did everything the Yankees could have asked from an emergency starter who was pitching for Double-A Trenton just last week and facing one of the best lineups in the AL. Outside of some jitters and control problems to the first two hitters of the game, Wright was solid in his major league debut and showed good movement on his pitches -- allowing 3 runs in 5 innings while throwing 104 pitches.
Of course, it is a lot easier to keep your composure when your teammates spot you an 8-1 lead after 2 innings.
My guess is that Wright has bought himself at least one more start (perhaps vs. Dice-K on Sunday night) before Wang and Karstens return from the DL. However, I'd be very surprised if Wright stayed in the rotation for any extended period of time unless they continue to be hampered by injuries.
On the offensive side of the ball, we saw another great performance from A-Rod -- who is in a zone that we haven't seen from him since his 2005 campaign when he won the AL MVP. On a side note, I just hope Yankees fans enjoy watching him play this season because I fear he will be donning another uniform in 2008. And the way the idiots have treated him during his tenure in Pinstripes, I wouldn't blame him one bit.
In addition to A-Rod, Minky and Posada also went yard in the 6-run 2nd inning and pretty much put the game away early.
The bullpen was excellent again and threw another 4 scoreless innings. The defense was also solid tonight as we watched the other team commit 3 errors for a change.