Their eight-game winning streak may have come and gone, but the Yankees turned plenty of heads around MLB last week. Two of the teamās biggest question marks entering the season were Michael Pineda and Aaron Judge. Both have played up to their immense potential so far this season.
Pineda flirted with a perfect game two starts ago, and followed that effort up with another solid performance. He is now 2-1 with a 3.44 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. Judge was overmatched at the plate during his brief debut last year, but made changes to his swing and is off to a .250/.327/.591 start with four impressive home runs. He will take his lumps at times this year as he tries to improve his contact rate, but when Judge makes contact, watch out.
The Dodgers are off to an inconsistent start to the year, with a second week of sub-.500 baseball in a row. It is difficult to pin the blame on one player in particular. Justin Turner is off to a fast start with a .360 batting average. Logan Forsythe has been solid as advertised. Yasiel Puig is hitting for more power and might actually be maturing (cross your fingers), and Corey Seager has picked up where he left off in his near-MVP rookie season. Clayton Kershaw is still great, as is Kenley Jansen.
For the Dodgers, the inconsistent start is a matter of getting everyone on the roster on the same page on a nightly basis. This slow start is nothing to worry about, and the Dodgers should still feel confident in their playoff chances.