Bomber Bites For March 23rd

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

1. Fifth Starter Competition: Michael Pineda will get the start today against the Blue Jays at The Boss. With spring training coming to an end, the winner of the fifth starter spot will probably be announced next week.  A solid start today could be the icing on the cake for Pineda, who as been outstanding this spring and is expected to be named the winner of the competition.
2. Sabathia on Opening Day: Joe Girardi announced that CC Sabathia will be the Opening Day starter in Houston on April 1st.  It will be CC’s sixth straight season getting the nod on day one for the Bombers, which is the longest such streak in franchise history since Lefty Gomez started six straight from 1932-1937.
3. Injury Watch: Both Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury took batting practice yesterday and appear to be recovering from their minor injuries and are looking to getting back into game action. However, with an off day Monday, the Yankees will probably play it safe and hold each player back until Tuesday.
4. The Frisco Kid Gunning Them Down: Francisco Cervelli gunned down another would be base stealer in Saturday’s game, albeit with a little help from the new replay system. That was the tenth attempt this spring on Cervelli.  He has gunned down five of them.
5. Ryan’s Replacement: With Brendan Ryan likely to start the season on the DL, look for increased playing time to be given to Dean Anna and Yangervis Solarte. Both players are competing for the 25^th and final spot on the roster. It all but guarantees Eduardo Nunez will not be in danger of starting the season in Scranton.