Beltran: Yankees 'Don't Need To Worry' About 0-2 Start
HOUSTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — The New York Yankees haven't clicked on offense in their first two games this season.
They've gone 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position in two losses to the Houston Astros.
But Carlos Beltran said it's way too early to be concerned.
"We're going to be fine," Beltran said. "We haven't been able to put anything together, but this team has what it takes to play better and win ballgames. We don't need to worry about it."
Designated hitter Alfonso Soriano agreed.
"It's only two games. It's nothing," Soriano said. "One-hundred-sixty games left, so we've got to keep working hard to get better."
Dexter Fowler homered and tripled and Matt Dominguez added a home run late to help the Astros take the opening series from the Yankees with a 3-1 win on Wednesday night.
Houston won the opener 6-2 and put a damper on the first series of Derek Jeter's final season. Jeter was 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout.
"They played well, they pitched well today," Jeter said. "It would be nice to score some more runs, but sometimes the other teams are going to have games like that."
"There's going to be times where you don't score runs," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That's part of the game."
Jarred Cosart (1-0) allowed four hits in five scoreless innings and Josh Fields pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
"He did a good job," Beltran said of Cosart. "He was locating pitching good on the corner, and he hit his spots with the curve ball. He kind of kept us off balance all night."
Though several Yankees have struggled at the plate against Houston, Soriano had had a particularly tough time, going 0 for 8 with four strikeouts.
"I might be too aggressive, and I need to calm down a little bit more," he said. "I need to swing at better pitches. I want to see something to hit, but the first two games, they know I am being too aggressive, and they are not giving me anything to hit on the first two pitches."
Hiroki Kuroda (0-1) yielded three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in six innings.
"With the lineup like we have, if you keep the game to two runs, I know we'll have a chance," Kuroda said.
NOTES: Andy Pettitte threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. ... Jeter, who announced in February that he was retiring, got a pair of cowboy boots with Yankees' pinstripes, a 10 gallon cowboy hat and a set of golf clubs as the Astros honored him in a pregame ceremony Wednesday night. Pettitte and Roger Clemens participated in the tribute.
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