New York Yankees: It's Too Early for the Panic Button, Right?

  I know, I know, it's only April.

  But as April turns to May, and half of the rotation and the meat of the Yankee lineup is still yet to pull the weight of a $207 million payroll, it should be a cause for concern. Based on reputation, Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte were pencilled in to perform well. They have held up their end of the bargain so far, however Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have not.

  It's hard to blame Hughes and Kennedy, who are 21 and 23 years-old respectively. It was well known that a lot was going to hinge on the two starters coming into the season. Combined, the young guns, or lack thereof, have gone 0-5 in eight starts. In those eight games, Hughes and Kennedy have made it past the fourth inning a total of three times. Their inflated earned run averages are well over eight.

  The lack of production doesn’t end there. There are enough Yankee hitters on the interstate (or barely off of it) to clog up the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx worse than post-home-game traffic. Someone should tell Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi that the season started three weeks ago, because neither one looks prepared for a season in full swing. I hear you. It’s only April.

  If nothing else, Cano and Giambi’s struggles should illustrate that a good Spring Training doesn’t necessarily translate to the regular season. Robbie Cano tore up spring pitchers, hitting a blistering .446. It hasn’t carried over to the regular season, however, posting a disappointing .169 through 77 at bats. Giambi was described by new manager Joe Girardi as one of the hardest workers all spring. Hard working at what is yet to be determined. Giambi has hit a putrid .109 while getting more reps at playing first base with a banged up lineup.

  Speaking of banged up, the Yankees must have walked past several black cats and walked under some ladders. Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, and most recently Alex Rodriguez have already caught the injury bug this season. How much time the reigning MVP will be sidelined with a strained right quad injury suffered in Sunday’s 7-1 win over the Orioles is yet to be reported but it could turn to a nagging burden if not taken care of. But after all, it’s only April.

  Joba Chamberlain is not injured, nor has he been ineffective thus far. However, he is still a young man that is dealing with a far greater task than striking out a batter in the late innings. Chamberlain has already taken one leave of absence from the team to attend to his ailing father, Harlan Chamberlain. Although Joba returned from his bereavement leave this past weekend, his father’s health could wear on Joba mentally.

  While all of this is going on, the Boston Red Sox have stepped out to an early three game lead in the A.L. East. Then again, it’s only April. Baltimore is also playing good ball, snatching an impressive two wins of the three game series from the Bombers. There is plenty of time left in the season to right the ship in the Bronx but how costly will the journey of getting to that point be, come September?

  The Red Sox are only going to get stronger. Manny Ramirez seldom gets off to such hot starts and David Ortiz will kick the slump eventually. The Yankee rotation will not be able to survive on the reliability of Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte for the entire season. At some point, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are going to have to mature into the third and fourth starters they have shown stints of capability for. The Yankee hitters will not be able to rely on their corner outfielders to carry the team as they have through much of the early going. Somewhere along the way, the Yankees will have to get lucky and leave the injury bug behind. And yes, it is only April, but wins in late summer are just as valuable as wins in early spring.