So much for the philosophy that it’s easier to pitch in the cold weather than it is to hit. The Yankees have tried to disprove that longstanding theory all by their lonesome through the first week of the season. Their starters have surrendered 24 runs in 22 and a third innings, giving them an ERA of 10.00 through five games. Joe Torre has had to call on his relievers a remarkable 22 times through those five games; at this rate, Torre will have blown out his bullpen by the end of the month. While the horrid pitching will only raise the clarion call for Roger Clemens and increase the temperature on Ron Guidry’s hot seat, the Yankees may have to expedite a third (and most immediate) option: dipping into the deep pool of pitching prospects at Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Under ideal circumstances, the Yankees would like to wait until at least June before placing a call for either Phil Hughes or Ross Ohlendorf. They may have to move the recall date to sometime in April or May, especially if Hughes continues to pitch as well as he did in his minor league opener, when he allowed only two hits and two runs in five innings…

The state of the Yankees’ bench is almost as scary as the starting rotation. On Sunday, the Yankees started two of their reserves–Wil Nieves behind the plate and Miguel Cairo in left field–giving the bottom of the order a look that was too reminiscent of those awful Yankee teams from the early 1990s. For all the good that Brian Cashman has done in reducing the age of his team, recruiting young pitching, and adding flexibility to the 25-man roster, Cashman continues to stumble in the area of constructing a bench. The Yankees haven’t had a top-drawer backup catcher since Joe Girardi or a truly effective utility infielder since Luis Sojo. And with Cairo clearly out of place in the outfield, the Yankees’ decision to carry only four outfielders looks like another early-season mistake. Heck, the Yankees have almost as many first baseman (three) as they do outfielders. It’s a far cry from the days when the Yankees had so much depth in the outfield that they could start games with Sweet Lou Piniella, Oscar Gamble, and Bobby Murcer available to come off the bench…

While the Yankees are concerned about the ghastly state of their starting pitching, whispers out of Boston express some worry about the Red Sox’ sudden lack of patience at the plate. Red Sox batters failed to work the count throughout their weekend series against the Rangers, a trait that runs completely counter to recent Boston teams and the preferred philosophy of general manager Theo Epstein. Some critics are pointing to the change in hitting coaches. Former batting instructor Ron Jackson preached the important of patience and walks, yet was let go in favor of current hitting coach Dave Magadan. While I understand the reason for worry, I find it hard to believe that Magadan is the culprit. Magadan was an extremely patient hitter throughout his major league career; if anything, he took criticism for being too passive at the plate. I can’t fathom that he’s changed his philosophy so radically that he has Red Sox hitters swinging wildly at pitches ala Yogi Berra and Manny Sanguillen…

The dull starts experienced by the Red Sox and Yankees represent the disappointing end of the major league spectrum. On the other side, we find surprising teams like the Twins, Pirates, and Reds, who have raced out to good starts despite lackluster winters. (Hey, why couldn’t the Pirates have started out like this last year, when I was trying to sell copies of The Team That Changed Baseball? Oh well, the book has sold well anyway.) Those three small market teams are a combined 12-5, with expected bottom feeders Cincinnati and Pittsburgh leading the way in the NL Central, and Minnesota doing the same in the AL Central. The Pirates’ play has been arguably the most impressive. They’ve won four of their six while playing on the road, survived most of the first week without the injured Freddy Sanchez, and have watched their bullpen work to near perfection, having stranded every inherited baserunner. Salmon Torres is four-for-four in save opportunities and making a case to be this year’s version of Joe Borowski…

The Reds’ bullpen has actually been just as good as Pittsburgh’s. Reds relievers didn’t give up their first runs of the season until Sunday’s loss to the Pirates. And then there’s been the early play of Adam Dunn, who has shown hints that he might be able to take the step from one-dimensional slugger (like Frank Howard) to All-Star mainstay (think Reggie Jackson). Dunn banged out two more hits on Sunday to raise his early batting average to .381. The “Big Donkey” also has three home runs, an .857 slugging percentage, and two stolen bases thrown in for good measure…

The Twins initially seemed like an afterthought in the stacked AL Central, but their pitching beyond Johan Santana has been remarkably poised. Ramon Ortiz and Carlos Silva both turned in good starts during the first week, successfully holding the fort until more talented young pitchers are deemed ready for recall. For all of their critics, Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan remain one of the most effective manager-GM teams in all of baseball.