Is it time to panic yet? 

Okay , it is only to games, but it is two games and two losses to the team that most people consider the favorite to challenge the Yankees for the American League East title.  There is some concern.

The first concern is that the Yankees number one and two starters were both unable to shut down the Rays.  C.C. Sabathia, though mostly ineffective, did his best to keep the Yankees in the game, but four runs to the Rays pitching staff is usually going to be too many.  Sabathia was lucky New York’s batters had his back and was still in line for the win before Mariano Rivera blew the save.  And Hiroki Kuroda was very disappointing.  With six runs given up (four earned) and eight hits the Yankees never had a chance, although once again the bats did their best to pick up the pitching.  Kuroda’s fastball looked flat, and with the Rays swinging early in the count to avoid the splitter he was getting teed off on.  The Rays knew the fast ball was coming early and were ready for it.  Now the Yankees will be looking to Phil Hughes, the Yankees sharpest pitcher in spring training, to stop the bleeding.  If Hughes can’t get the job done, the Yankees have some serious problems.  The depth of the rotation doesn’t matter if the Yankees top three pitchers struggle.

The second concern for the Yanks is the constant shifting employed by Joe Maddon in the first two games.  Now we’ve seen some extreme shifts by many teams in recent years, but for the most part it had been limited  to lefty pull hitters – Mark Teixeira, and David Ortiz for example.  The Rays however, seemed to have a shift for every batter, and their scouting reports were right on.  It didn’t matter if it was a lefty or a righty at the plate, when there was a shift , it seemed the Yankees hitters were hitting right into it.  Numerous hits were taken away by the Ray’s scouts in the past two games, and if other teams advanced scouts were paying attention, the Yankees are probably going to see a lot more of it.

There is no doubt the Yankees are going to win a lot of games.  Despite the shifts they have still scored 12 runs in two games, and despite the unimpressive pitching they have had a chance to win both games.  They will more than likely make the playoffs.  The problem is that if they are out-managed and out pitched in the playoffs, they will be looking at an early exit for the third straight year.  The hitters need to adjust and the pitchers need to perform.  Otherwise, the Yankees will be the ones shifting.  Shifting their attention to the golf course in October.