Tampa, FL, March 5 — Although they knew that Thursday’s game was off to a very bad start, Yankee fans didn’t realize that it was over after the ugly 24-minute top of the first. Making his first official 2009 start as the Yankees begin establishing their rotation this day, Joba Chamberlain could not harness any command of his powerful fastball, and missed the zone with 14 of his first 20 pitches.

Little did anyone know it, but his only chance to escape was a 2-2 Russell Martin ground ball to the right of second base following the four-pitch leadoff walk to shortstop Chris Barnwell. Ramiro Pena zigged toward the hole when he should have zagged toward the bag and what easily could have been a 4-6-3 double play became a ground single to right. Eleven tosses and two walks later, Team Canada was up 1-0 with the bases loaded. Joba got ahead of Jason Bay 1-2, but the center fielder fouled off two pitches until Chamberlain missed three times and Bay too had an rbi walk.

Unforunately, Jonathan Albaladejo didn’t have much either, and a bad inning got quickly worse. He replaced Chamberlain and jumped ahead of right fielder Matt Stairs 1-2 as well, but two throws later Stairs lashed a liner past Mark Teixeira and into the right field corner for a 4-0 lead. Mark Teahen lofted a sac fly to medium left that Nick Swisher caught while stumbling under a blinding sun. This closed the book on Joba at five earned runs in zero innings, with an ensuing single painting Albaladejo’s record with one very deserved tally as well.

But it was over, no doubt about it. From that point on it was a very lowkey war of attrition, with the Yanks managing four hits, and the Canadian team three. The Yankee followup pitching was much better, allowing just two singles, a hit by pitch, and a walk after Albaladejo left after two innings. But although the two frames tossed by Christian Garcia and one each by Brian Bruney and J.B. Cox were effective, keep in mind that the guy who gets the most credit for the turnaround was the given-up-for-lost Kei Igawa. Not only did he hold the visitors to a single and a hit by pitch in the third through fifth innings, he struck out two and retired nine of 10 batters on just 35 pitches.

Even if the Yankee relief pitching, featuring Igawa’s outing in this case, is viewed as Thursday afternoon’s silver lining, what can be said of the offense, which got just three runners to third base against eight pitchers, seven of whom have a combined track record of three appearances in major league games? The offense wasted two walks each by Nick Swisher and Cody Ransom, all in the first four innings, and failed to score either of the two times a Yankee stroked a one-out double.

Years ago we learned that George M. Steinbrenner, formerly Legends, Field can be a great place to be when a Yankee great passes, as was the case 10 years ago when Joe DiMaggio died in March 1999. We were glad to have a place to share our grief, as we were again the other day when one-time Pinstriped righthander Tom Sturdivant died. But unless you’re in the press box, this is not the best locale to hear the latest in Yankee land, and the Thursday crowd was never apprised of the depressing developments about Alex Rodriguez’s hip before leaving the park. Had we been aware that the team could be missing their star third baseman for a significant stretch, we might have reflected on how now, with their considerably improved rotation (Joba’s stumble this day notwithstanding) and solid bullpen, this is a team that figures not to need to win a lot of 7-5 and 6-4 games this year, but which can come out on top quite often when they only dent the scorebord a few times.

Of course, you can’t win many games if you don’t score at all. But today’s lineup included Hideki Matsui at DH in his first Spring game, three of the four outfielders who are vying for two of the spots, the newly signed Mark Teixeira at first, and little else. Ransom, Angel Berroa, Pena, and Kevin Cash did not figure to supply much “O” in the sixth through ninth spots, and they did not. With an efective start and a competitive offensive lineup, this was one of those games the Yanks figure to win going forward, with a low score.

A word about the defense, a critical factor if you hope to win a lot of low-scoring games. As mentioned, Pena had a shot at a key double play he missed in the first, but he combined with Juan Miranda at first base on a remarkable 4-3 in the ninth on a hot shot on which the young second baseman had his feet slip out from under him. And Swisher banged into the left feld wall making a fine grab of a Luke Carlin third-inning drive under still blinding — and windy — skies. Mr. Ransom seems to have shown up with the same fine game he displayed as a Yankee backup infielder in 2008, a not unimportant factor should he need to fill some shoes for a time at third base. And veteran shortstop/infielder Angel Berroa, who may have been primarily signed to play short while Derek Jeter toils in the WBC, could have been hoped to become a factor on a team suddenly in need of infield help. I’m sorry to say, however, that his fourth-inning single in today’s game notwithstanding, Angel has not looked good. He threw to the wrong base as a cutoff man Saturday, and made an error on a routine play at short on Tuesday. And manning the less famliar third base today, he bobbled a semi-hot shot for an error, and allowed an infield single when sloppy footwork cost him another play on a medium roller. Any hope that having his veteran presence in camp will alleviate potential forthcoming shortcomings in the Yankee infield would require him to make a quick turnaround.

So all in all it was not a great Yankee day. March 5 actually has had some ignominious history in Yankee lore before this dire year. On the Spring side of things, one-time Yankee prospect Mike Jerzembeck had a day much like Joba’s when the Blue Jays pounced on him for six quick runs on three hits and three walks on this day in 1999. And even more dramatically, this is the fateful day back in 1973 when Yankee hurlers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich swapped wives (families really). Compared to that lowlight, neither this game nor the news on Alex is all that bad. If it turns out that Alex will be missing significant time, at least one roster spot will need to be addressed. Perhaps Ransom can fill in at third and a rusty Berroa will round into shape. Maybe a short-term third-base solution like Corey Koskie will need to be acquired. There is one month left to find out.

But the day? The day could not have been much better. The temps were similar though higher, starting in the low 60s and bursting past 70 under a cloudless sunny sky. The breezes that have kept fans bundled except under the noonday sun were still here, but different. They seemed to have turned from northeasterly to the south, and they brought very little chill with them. It bodes well for the Friday night home game against the Tigers, which otherwise would have been too cool. We expect better than a six-run first from C.C. Sabathia then and from Chien-Ming Wang against the Braves Saturday afternoon, before a very reluctant flight back to the chilly north.

We will see how Cody Ransom, Angel Berroa, and the Yankees respond to the changed circumstances. And, I suspect, we’ll see a lot more Yankee offense as well.

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!