Yankees’ Misfortune Could Turn into Fortune

Yankees have pieced together a starting lineup and starting rotation over the past week or so and since opening day. With the likes of Jeter, Hughes, Chamberlain, Soriano and others on the injured list for the Yankees, they have brought in some viable replacements.

So what happens once the injured return? What do I envision for the Yankees?

As the injuries and vacancies have mounted for the Yankees, the bombers have brought in the likes of Eduardo Nunez, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Hector Noesi, and recent starter fill-in, Brian Gordon. Colon and Garcia up to this point in the 2011 Yankees season have saved the team from a horrendous start. Those two starters 90% of the time have kept the Yanks in the games, though Garcia has been struggling as of late.

When Colon got injured, he arguably was the Yankees' second best starter behind their ace CC Sabathia. Once Colon went down, the Yankees turned to Brian Gordon, a AAA pitcher who was with the Phillies organization. He provided 5 1/3 innings giving up only 2 runs against the offensively talented Texas Rangers. If Gordon keeps this up, he could be a viable long-relief option out of the Yanks' bullpen.

Also in the bullpen, Hector Noesi has been a pleasant surprise in the Yankees bullpen providing stability in the later innings. Noesi has moved from a long-relief role to a 6th/7th inning role, taking the place of David Robertson as he moves up to the 8th inning in place of Joba and Soriano. Luis Ayala has also been a huge contributor for the Yankees in the late innings for the Bronx Bombers as well. These guys will certainly provide depth for the Yankees as Joba, Soriano, and others return from the injured list.

As for the offense, Eduardo Nunez has provided some crucial hits and gotten the job done defensively flashing some leather, though some errors do leak out here and there as some Yankee fans anoint him with the nickname "NunEEEz". Nunez has been very good coming off of the bench in supporting the infielders all season. Yankees are also missing Eric Chavez who was really hitting the ball well before he got injured over a month ago.