Young guys: It's getting old

Kennedy could be demoted after blowing 3-0 lead after 3 batters

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | anthony.rieber@newsday.com

May 2, 2008

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After another so-so (at best) start in last night's 8-4 Yankees loss to the Tigers, Ian Kennedy said, "Maybe next time will be better."

At least it should be easier. Because it'll probably be for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Kennedy lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up four runs in a no-decision. Not terrible, but not good enough for Yankees manager Joe Girardi. With the Yankees having enough off-days in May to be able to go with a four-man rotation, Kennedy could be the odd man out.

"He's not giving us the distance that we need," Girardi said after the Yankees were swept by the Tigers despite taking a 3-0 lead after three batters last night. "It's not enough for him, not enough for us . . We don't need that fifth starter as much in May. We'll sit down and talk about it and see what's best for Ian Kennedy."

On the day the Yankees learned Phil Hughes might be out until the All-Star break because of a stress fracture in one of his ribs, they fell to 2-10 in games started by Hughes and Kennedy, their prized young righthanders.

Growing pains? How about plain painful?

"The bottom line is at this level, you have to get results," Girardi said.

The calendar said May, but the Yankees didn't turn the page. At all. The weather was cold and rainy and the Alex Rodriguez- and- Jorge Posada-less offense couldn't overcome the pitching.

"Sometimes you have to score 10 runs," Girardi said. "That's the bottom line."

Kennedy, staked to a 3-0 lead on Bobby Abreu's three-run homer in the first, left trailing 4-3 and got a no-decision when the Yankees tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single by surprise cleanup hitter Shelley Duncan.

Losing pitcher Jonathan Albaladejo (0-1) allowed four runs in 1 2/3 innings as the Tigers scored two in the sixth on a triple by Ramon Santiago and two more in the seventh on a homer by Miguel Cabrera (2-for-4, three RBIs).

The good news for Kennedy is his ERA went from 8.53 to 8.37. He gave up five hits and three walks. In 23 2/3 innings, he has allowed 22 earned runs, 28 hits and 20 walks. Kennedy has struck out 16.

"This one, I felt really good," he said. "That's the weird thing. My body felt good. It's frustrating knowing I felt good and the outcome wasn't what I wanted."

Girardi said the 23-year-old didn't make enough adjustments. Kennedy disagreed.

"I didn't think there were any adjustments that needed to be made," he said. "They flipped the ball down the line on both sides and I just wanted to keep going after them."

With some better outfield defense, Kennedy might have given up fewer runs. On the other hand, he did give up some rockets.

After the Yankees handed him a three-run lead three batters into the first, Kennedy handed it back in a six-batter span in the third.

Kennedy threw a pair of scoreless innings before Santiago doubled in front of Johnny Damon in left with one out in the third. Damon got a late jump on the short fly and let it skip past him untouched.

Kennedy then bounced a curve past Chad Moeller for a wild pitch and Santiago scored on a grounder to second by Curtis Granderson to make it 3-1. No biggie, right?

But Kennedy surrendered a double to Placido Polanco and walked Gary Sheffield. Magglio Ordoñez followed with a tying two-run double off the top of the right-centerfield wall. Abreu had no chance to catch it but got too close to the wall, allowing the ball to carom past him as Sheffield scored from first.

Cabrera also hit one to the wall in right-center; this one Abreu leaped for and missed. The triple drove in Ordoñez to give Detroit a 4-3 lead.

Derek Jeter walked with one out in the fifth and scored the tying run on singles by Abreu and Duncan.

Tonight

Mariners at Yankees

7:05 p.m.

TV: YES

Radio: WCBS (880)