Rays 6, Yankees 3 (Game #4) [3-1]

I felt good about the possibility of winning this game merely because it was Andy Pettitte’s first start of the season. After all of the off-season turmoil surrounding the steroids scandal with Roger Clemens, I just think he’s had too much on his plate to be effective this early in the season. Trust me, whether or not Pettitte was 100% or not today, the Rays seized this victory with style. Honestly, I was probably split on which pitcher would have the better performance. We all know Edwin Jackson can be a little enigmatic on the mound. He’s got great talent and it’s just a matter of him unleashing his skills and keeping everything else steady. After walking Johnny Damon and giving up the double to Alex Rodriguez, I was worried that it was going to be another typical first half season start for Jackson. With the Yankees leading 1-0 after the first inning, he only squandered four hits for the next five innings, with two walks and four strikeouts, leaving the game with a 1.50 ERA. I was excited for Jackson. This is the type of start he needed and I pray that he’ll continue to be a balanced starter for this rotation. Once Scott Kazmir comes back, I think we'll have one of the best starting pitching staffs in the league. Let’s not forget that the bullpen excelled today, too, except for a two-run blip in the eight inning. Al Reyes set it up nicely for a Troy Percival save. What a blessing to have these guys being so efficient on the mound. Of course, the man of the game clearly was Jonny Gomes. Even with two fielding gaffes, he had a sacrifice fly in the third inning, scoring Carl Crawford and had a three-run homer in the fifth inning. It seems the Rays can do no wrong having either Gomes or Cliff Floyd in the lineup. For the record, I’m classifying the Baltimore loss as a fluke. :) It was great to see Willy Aybar homer in the eighth inning, too. This guy deserves to be on the team even after Rays management decides it’s time for Evan Longoria to be our future third baseman. Let’s hope the winning ways continue. Wouldn’t it be nice to be 5-1 and going back to Tampa for the home opener against Seattle? Surprisingly, James Shields will get his second start of the season against Chien-Ming Wang on Sunday rather than the expected Jason Hammel/Mike Mussina matchup, which has been pushed back to Monday night. Hammel has a lot to prove since he’s on the bubble and could lose his rotation spot once Kazmir is healthy.