Yankees stud — Robinson Cano
It’s just another dominant week for the Yankees second baseman.
Cano carried the Yankees in their 4-0 win over the Orioles on Thursday night with two home runs. Sunday, his three-run homer pushed the Yankees’ lead to 5-0 over the White Sox on the way to a 12-3 victory. Cano continues to be the most dangerous hitter in the Yankees lineup with Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira struggling in the season’s opening month.
For the week, Cano went 11-for-25 (.440) with four home runs, six runs scored and seven RBIs.
Honorable mention goes to A.J. Burnett, who is off to a quiet but tremendous start. Burnett improved to 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA after eight shutout innings in the 4-0 game against the Orioles.
Mets stud — Rod Barajas
The Mets not getting Bengie Molina this offseason may turn out to be the best thing for them.
Barajas killed the Phillies this weekend at Citizens Bank Park, and his power to left field could eventually prove crucial for the Mets in the games remaining there. Barajas hit three home runs against Philadelphia and went 5-for-8 overall against the rivals. He now has six home runs and his halfway to the 12 that Daniel Murphy hit last year to lead the Mets. And Barajas deserves some of the credit for the improvement of the Mets pitching staff this season.
Molina is off to a solid start in another season with the Giants, but Barajas’ contributions if the Mets find themselves in a big September series in Philadelphia could prove invaluable.
Yankees dud — David Robertson
Robertson had his fingerprints all over both Yankees losses this week.
The young righty entered Tuesday night’s game against the Orioles with two outs in the sixth inning and a runner on first. Robertson proceeded to hit Ty Wiggington then give up three consecutive hits to hand Baltimore a 4-2 lead.
Saturday, after the Yankees rallied to take a 6-5 lead after another stinker from Javier Vazquez, Robertson entered in the top of the seventh inning. He failed to get through the inning and handed the ball to Damaso Marte with two runners on and two outs. Marte gave up the two-run double to A.J. Pierzynski that would be the difference in Chicago’s 7-6 win.
It’s really an indictment on the entire middle relief for the Yankees, who are hoping Chan Ho Park will return sooner than later from a hamstring injury. Despite the fact Park is on the disabled list, that late offseason signing seems like a smart one.
Mets dud — Johan Santana
Before the season, Santana said he was the best pitcher in the NL East. Roy Halladay would probably disagree — along with anyone who watched the series this weekend.
Santana was handed two three-run leads by the Mets on Sunday night and he couldn’t hold them. Santana had a chance to get out of the eight-run fourth inning with a 5-3 lead, but walked opposing pitcher Jamie Moyer with the bases loaded and two outs. That was followed by a Shane Victorino grand slam that put the Phillies ahead for good.
Santana deserved kudos for a gritty, six shutout-inning performance in a win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. But the Mets wanted that Phillies series desperately and their ace didn’t deliver it for them.
