Yankees Diaries

Turning Point
Although Joe Girardi has done a great job handling all the egos on this ball club, there has been one aspect of his managerial style that should be analyzed closer. His use of the bullpen has been suspect. I won't question bringing in Aceves in Game 3, but I didn't like his decision to send Burnett back out to start the seventh. The Yankees had taken a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh. Burnett clearly didn’t have his best stuff and by that point Jose Molina was out of the game after being lifted for a pinch-hitter. This was the clear turning point as the Angels jumped all over an ineffective Burnett to regain the lead and win Game 5. In that situation the ball needed to be handed to the bullpen. Let Joba and Phil Hughes get a few outs and then hand the ball over to Rivera. Rivera could have come in to get a four or five out save and it would have allowed him the rest going into the World Series.

Unsung Hero
Unfortunately for the Yankees, they didn't have one in Game 5. Mark Teixeira had the biggest hit of the night came but was unable to get on base in the ninth against Brian Fuentes. Robinson Cano had a huge two run triple in that same inning although was 1 for 4 and is hitting just .238 in the series.

Key Stat
Nick Swisher's batting average in this series: .118. He popped up to the shortstop with the bases loaded to end Game 5. Swisher has been instrumental this year for the Yankees and was the biggest surprise this season for the Yankees, but the bottom line is right now the Yankees don’t have time for him to get out of his slump. He is coming up in big situations and at this point looks really out of sync and is becoming somewhat of a liability.

Swisher is a prime candidate to be benched. At this point he is really hurting the team. Something needs to be shaken up, because the last scenario the Yankees want is for CC Sabathia to have to pitch a Game 7. Assuming they make it to the World Series, he would have to pitch on short rest again. Let's shake up the line up and allow the order to spot Andy a few runs tonight as he looks to close out the series.

--- ANDREW COHEN

Wow.

That's the best I can do right now after one of the best Yankee-Red Sox classics of all-time. How else can you describe a 15-inning thriller where the only runs came on the game's final swing? Or one where A-Rod is actually the hero, and the Yankee bullpen throws 7 1/3 scoreless innings in victory?

For my money, Friday's 2-0, 15-inning victory was unquestionably the best game of the year. Going in, it had all the makings of a classic pitcher's duel. Former Florida Marlins teammates Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett, the aces of their respective staffs, were going at it. This one figured to have much fewer fireworks than Thursday's 13-6 slugfest.

But no one could have expected this.

Burnett and Beckett lived up to billing, and the game was scoreless after eight innings. The bullpens picked up where the starters left off, getting after jam after jam to preserve the scoreless tie.

After nine innings, it was still 0-0. And the game went on and on and on. And on.

In all the games of the storied Yankee-Boston rivalry, no game had ever been scoreless for longer than 13 innings. But there it was, bottom of the 15th inning, and neither team had scored. All five key members of the Yankee bullpen -- Phil Hughes, Mariano Rivera, Alfredo Aceves, Brian Bruney and Phil Coke -- had already seen action, and the Papelbon-Okajima-Delcarmen three-headed Boston monster had come on in relief.

Derek Jeter singled to lead off the inning, but Johnny Damon popped out while trying to bunt. It seemed as if this game would never end.

Then, in one swing, the happiest, most unlikely ending.

With two out and one on, A-Rod jacked one up and out to left field, circling the bases as what was left of the Yankee Stadium crowd burst into jubilant celebration. Mr. Anti-Clutch, 1-6 before the at-bat (and that was an infield single), had saved the day.

In the grand scheme of a 162-game season, the win may not mean all that much. There are almost two months left in the season, and the Bombers' lead in the AL East is only 4 1/2 games over Boston. And A-Rod is still not clutch.

But you tell that to A-Rod. Tell it to the fans who stayed around to see the end. Tell it to the pundits who said the Red Sox "had to have" this game. Most of all, tell it to the Red Sox, who burned up their bullpen and hung Clay Buchholz out to dry for tomorrow's game -- all for nothing.

Wow. Great win.

-Jake Simpson

On a day when two Cy Young winners not named Roy Halladay were traded, the Yankees did nothing to improve their ball club. They targeted their guy in Jarrod Washburn and saw him go to one of their competitors, the Detroit Tigers. They saw the White Sox go out and acquire former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. And they didn’t even make an attempt at reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee, whose price tag was a lot more reasonable then what the Blue Jays were asking for Halladay.

Then the Red Sox acquired the best bat on the market in Victor Martinez. It is understandable that the Yankees didn’t want to give up Austin Jackson, Phil Hughes or Joba, but a deal could have been made. The Red Sox got Martinez without giving up their top prospect Clay Buchholz. They failed to get George Sherrill from the Orioles and couldn’t even make a small deal to improve the bullpen.

Acquiring utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. for Chase Weems was minor deal anyway and looks even smaller when compared to what the Yankees' competition did.

Joe Girardi has the Yankees heading in the right direction, although the bullpen as well as the back end of the rotation has large question marks around it. Hughes has been great as a reliever, although his scoreless streak ended the other night. But Hughes has never gone through the grind of a full big league season, let alone a pennant race. Will he hit a wall?

A Washburn or Brian Bannister could have solidified that rotation, although the Yankees are playing great baseball and in Brian Cashman we trust. He has assembled an amazing team that is capable of winning right now and Mr. Cashman felt as though the team needed only a small improvement. They turn to A.J. Burnett to help end a two-game skid today on Fox against the Chicago White Sox. --- Andrew Cohen.

As the 4 p.m. Friday deadline quickly approaches, Yankee executives seem to be quiet, despite urgings from the New York press to go after a starter. With the price tags for Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee through the roof, the Yankees have turned their attention to Seattle southpaw Jarrod Washburn.

Although he may not have the marquee name and Cy Young awards like Halladay and Lee, he is quietly having a spectacular year. Washburn is just 8-6 but his 2.71 ERA ranks him fourth in the American League. The other reason why Washburn is attractive to both the Yankees and other big league clubs is that he is not signed after this year, meaning that the recipient of Washburn wouldn’t have to give top prospects. Essentially any club getting Washburn would be renting him for the rest of the season.

The Yankees appear committed to keeping Phil Hughes in the bullpen this year. He may shift back to the rotation next year, following the path of Joba Chamberlain. But another arm in the rotation couldn’t hurt, especially with the news that Chien-Ming Wang is facing season-ending shoulder surgery.

With the Red Sox making a few moves last week and some noise in the Halladay sweepstakes, we hope that our Yankees can pull off a move of their own. Washburn is a veteran with a great resume and could give the Yankees just what they need down the stretch. With Sabathia and A.J. Burnett pitching ace-like baseball, the Yankees don’t need a No. 1 starter, just someone who can get the job done and come without having to compromise the farm system. The Yankees have continued to say that it would take a special deal to part with any of there young major leaguers and highly touted minor leaguers, but Washburn may be able to be had at a reduced price. --- Andrew Cohen.

The Yanks should avoid jumping into the Roy Halladay Sweepstakes, since it would likely cost them, at minimum, either Joba or Hughes, plus Montero and Austin Jackson.

If they "wants in" on Heath Bell, I'd put out a few feelers, but again, I would not part with Joba, Hughes, Montero or Jackson.

If they "wants in" on Washburn and it would only cost them a lesser prospect, I'd do it. Washburn would be an upgrade over Mitre, has pitched in the AL his entire career, including post-season experience, and would allow them to leave Hughes and Aceves in the bullpen, where they are more valuable. --- Iceman Scoreth.

You knew it couldn't last forever.

The Yanks' post-All Star Break perfection finally came to an end on Saturday, as the Athletics came from behind to topple the Bombers 6-4. After Andy Pettitte failed to hold a tenuous 1-0 lead, the Yankees brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth inning and the winning run in the ninth but were unable to capitalize.

It was the Bombers' first loss since falling 5-4 to the Angels on July 12, the last game before the All-Star Break. In between, they reeled off eight straight wins, sweeping Detroit and Baltimore and taking the first two from Oakland. The streak moved the Yankees into first place in the AL East, and they now have the best record in the American League.

The Yanks have put together a longer winning streak this season, but their nine-game run in May included two extra-inning victories. This stretch was far more dominant. So with an eye towards the upcoming playoff race, let's break down the streak that was.

STARTING PITCHING: 6-0, 2.05 ERA -- The Yankee rotation has been getting steadily better, and the starters were the key to this winning streak. One benchmark for good pitching is a team's number of quality starts, appearances where the starter goes 6+ innings and allows three or fewer runs. If new fifth starter Sergio Mitre had gotten one more out on Tuesday, the Yanks would have been eight for eight in quality starts during the streak.

Playoff teams usually have high-quality starting pitching, and World Series winners almost always do. Whether Mitre can lock down the No. 5 spot in the rotation remains to be seen, but either way, the Yankees have the best rotation in baseball (says this scribe).

PHIL HUGHES' SCORELESS INNING STREAK: 22 -- Forget the battle for eighth-inning setup man, because Hughes is approaching Joba Chamberlain territory. Overpowering hitters with his upper 90s fastball and baffling them with his breaking stuff, Hughes has made the eighth inning (and sometimes seventh) pretty much academic for opposing teams since mid-June.

In his last 15 appearances, Hughes has not allowed a run. And he went two innings twice during the streak, once in place of Mariano Rivera. You think the Sandman is happy to have a lights-out Hughes in front of him? Me too.

MARK TEIXEIRA: .333, THREE HOME RUNS, NINE RBIs -- In the first game of the streak, Teix-Mex went 3-5 and crushed a game-winning three-run homer off Tigers flamethrower Joel Zumaya. A week later, he went 2-4 with a two-run jack in the Yanks 6-3 comeback win against Oakland. In between, he consistently got on base and contributed stellar defense at first base.

Since his early-season slump, Teixeira has looked like the All-Star first baseman we expected to see. And as A-Rod continues to struggle in the clutch, the Yankee first baseman has become the guy I want in the box with the game on the line.

That's all for this streak. Time for a new one.

-Jake Simpson

The Yankees completed their second consecutive sweep by dispatching the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Wednesday afternoon. The win puts the Yankees on a six-game winning steak and also increased the division lead over the Boston Red Sox to two games.

A.J. Burnett won his fourth consecutive start, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six Orioles in seven innings. Jorge Posada ignited the offense with a solo homer in the third and an RBI double in the the eighth.

Emerging setup man Phil Hughes pitched a scoreless eighth with a strikeout and a double-play grounder. Leading 6-2 in a non-save situation, Brian Bruney relieved Hughes in the ninth but again struggled with his command and velocity. After striking out the first two batters he faced, Bruney served up back-to-back home runs to Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. The back-to-back shots cut the Yankee lead to 6-4 and skipper Joe Girardi summoned Mariano Rivera to record the final out for his 28th save.

The Yankees look to carry their momentum into their next series with the Oakland Athletics. Yankees ace CC Sabathia looks to keep the winning streak alive when he takes the mound tonight against Oakland’s Vin Mazzaro. --- Adam Gendelman.

Earlier this week, I started writing Part 3 of my Midseason Report about the Yanks' key second-half issue: middle relief. But I had computer trouble, so I was unable to finish the post.

Too bad. I would've looked psychic.

My argument was that the Yanks will go as far as their middle relief take them, and that was certainly the case in this weekend's series against the Tigers. In each of the three games, the Yankees' middle relief was handed a slim lead in the late innings, their job to preserve that lead for Mariano Rivera.

Each time, it was mission accomplished. First, newly minted setup man Phil Hughes dominated Detroit, striking out six in two scoreless innings in Friday's 2-1 win. On Saturday, Alfredo Aceves was handed a 2-0 lead in the eighth. Though he gave up a solo dinger to ex-Yankee Marcus Thames, Aceves handed Rivera a 2-1 lead, and the Sandman did the rest.

Most heartening of all was Sunday's tag-team effort. Phil Coke did his job as a lefty specialist, getting dangerous leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson to end the seventh inning and preserve a 2-1 lead. Hughes was dazzling again, striking out two in a scoreless eighth. And Rivera pitched a third scoreless inning in three days for his 26th save.

As I wrote in Part 1 of the Midseason Report, Hughes is the best long-term choice for eighth-inning setup man. But he can't pitch every day, and he's not a lefty. Coke and Aceves will be vital in the stretch run, which makes this weekend's sweep all the more encouraging.

The bullpen's line for the weekend? One run and six hits in 7 2/3 innings. That's how you score just nine runs in three games and still sweep a series.

Come October, that might come in handy.

-Jake Simpson

And we're back. No, we don't have Home Run Derby winner Prince Fielder (though his father, Cecil, was a key part of the '96 World Series team).

But we do have some midseason grades.

FIRST BASE: It's been quite a summer for Mark Teixeira thus far. At the quarter pole, we gave him a B- and said "We all knew the slow start was inevitable, and it looks like he's busting out of it in typical fashion and should end the season just fine." Are we psychic, or what? Teix-Mex has raised his average 80 points since then and is among the AL leaders in home runs and RBIs. The All-Star gets an A-.

SECOND BASE: Over the past two years, we've lost out on Johan Santana and who knows who else because Robinson Cano has been 100 percent off the table in any trade talks. The free-swinging Cano is making the Yankee brass look good this season, hitting .308 with 46 RBIs. Despite his continued aversion to taking pitches (just 17 walks), Cano has been a valuable run producer when A-Rod and Jorge Posada missed significant time. That said, a .341 OBP gets him a B+.

SHORTSTOP: For the captain, we say: "Give that man an A." Derek Jeter has channeled his inner Michelangelo and given us a renaissance to be proud of. After a mediocre 2008 by his standards, Jeter is projected to exceed last year's season totals in every major category -- and score another .300 average/200 hit/100 run season in the process. Joe Girardi rolled the dice in hitting Jeter leadoff instead of Johnny Damon, and the captain has made the gamble pay off.

THIRD BASE: Discouting the ill-fated Ramiro Pena/Angel Berroa era, A-Rod gets a solid B- for his July surge. After an awful start, the $30 million man has keyed the Yanks' recent hot streak, hitting .350 this month with a sick 1.250 OPS. Sunday's 0-5 performance was the first time since June 18 that A-Rod failed to reach base safely. And his return to the lineup after missing the first six weeks with a hip injury helped break Teixeira out of his slump. As for clutch hits, see our 5/23 live blog.

CATCHER: You can't blame Jorge Posada for his injuries, though you have to wonder how many more season the 37-year-old catcher has in him. A solid .285 average and good power numbers don't do justice to how important Posada's bat is to the middle of lineup, which suffers when he's not around to knock in Teixeira and A-Rod. He gets a B+.

OUTFIELD: This group really need their own post, but let's try to summarize. Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher, Eric Hinske and Xavier Nady have all started at some point, and everyone (except for Nady) is expected to contribute going forward. Damon has been the steadiest, though his .276 average and incredibly limited range in the field suggests he may struggle in the second half. Losing Nady to Tommy John surgery has been a major blow, and though Melky, Gardner and Swisher have filled in admirably, there's no denying that this group is patchwork at best -- C+.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Hideki Matsui has put on a game performance this season, and like Damon, he's certainly benefited from the shorter right-field fence. And yet ... every time I see him roll his hands over and ground weakly to second, I want to tear my hair out. To improve on his B- in the second half, he has to start going the other way again.

BENCH: Half the bench is in the outfield at this point, so it's hard to say who the reserves really are. All in all, though, the outfield platoon has done as well as a bunch of bench players can do. And despite my continued gripings about him, Francisco Cervelli was solid in place of Posada. Earns a B, though a "good-hitting" backup infielder would be nice.

STARTING PITCHING: The top three have been very good: C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett are a combined 24-15 and form a potent 1-2-3 punch. The No. 4 has been OK -- Joba Chamberlain has a 4-2 record but can't get deep enough into games (see Part 1). And the No. 5 spot has been bad and worse, with Phil Hughes and Chien-Ming Wang throwing up far more bad starts than good. But if pitching is the key to success, and the Yanks have the third-best record in baseball, then a B+ is certainly appropriate.

CLOSER: Here are Mariano Rivera's career stats. Can we get him in the Hall of Fame early? A.

That leaves only middle relief and coaching. The two have been quite intertwined so far this year, so I'll cover them tomorrow, in the third and final installment of Midseason Report. Get excited.

--- Jake Simpson

It's time to pause for the All-Star Break. Other than Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Mariano Rivera, all the Yankees are getting a quick breather before what's sure to be a late-season dogfight in the AL East.

For us, though, the All-Star Break means Midseason Report. And we're giving it to you in two parts.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED IN THE FIRST HALF:

1. The new Yankee Stadium is a different breed. I could rave about the open-air tier section or the Brother Jimmy's right behind my Dad's seats. But that's not what everyone's talking about.

There have been 142 home runs hit in just 42 games, way ahead of last year's pace. The short porch and a supposed "jet stream" into right field have been listed as possible suspects, but the obvious reason is that the fence has been moved in slightly in right-center field. The result has been a bunch of "Green Monster" home runs -- dingers that wouldn't have left most other ballparks.

2. The old guard is far from done. Two of the old Yankee lifers, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, have anchored the team early on. Rivera has been his usual self, with 23 saves and a 2.43 ERA. Though he's struggled in non-save situations -- long his Achilles Heel -- Rivera has continued to be the best closer in the business.

Jeter's the one who defied expectations. Thought by many to be over the hill, Jeter has instead posted the third-best average in the AL (.321) and earned his 10th All-Star nod. The captain has thrived in the leadoff spot and is on pace for an incredible 12th season with 100 runs scored. Bill Simmons called Jeter "a washed up shortstop with no range", but the Yankee shortstop has been the team's offensive MVP thus far.

3. Mark Teixeira is the real deal. At the end of April, Teix-Mex was hitting .200 and drawing the ire of the New York press. But since Alex Rodriguez has returned to the lineup, the first baseman has been on fire. Teixeira even nudged out Kevin Youkilis for the starting spot in the All-Star Game, and it's always a bonus to beat out Beantown.

4. The back end of the rotation has been the team's biggest weakness. Going into the season, the Bombers ostensibly had six starting pitchers. But Phil Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain have been the mediocre, the bad and the ugly. Joba's been the mediocre, with a 4.25 ERA and an average of five innings per start. Hughes has been the bad, allowing eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings in one start and losing his starting job in June. The ugly's been all Wang, whose season has included two trips to the DL and an ERA that only dropped under 10 in his most recent start. (Second-biggest weakness: middle relief).

5. The Yankees are in playoff contention right now because of money well spent. The Yankees spent more than 300 million dollars on Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Burnett and Sabathia have been the two best starters this season, while Teixeira has been the leading run producer. A-Rod may be making more money, but these three guys have actually been giving more bang for the buck.

FIVE KEYS TO THE SECOND HALF

1. Can Joe Girardi settle on a pecking order in the bullpen? How chaotic has the middle relief been? Among the players who have been Girardi's go-to eighth-inning setup man: Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke, Phil Hughes, Brian Bruney and Alfredo Aceves. The only constants so far have been Girardi's constant switching and "Enter Sandman" before ninth innings at the Stadium. If the Yankee skipper can settle on one guy, the chaos could give way to a defined hierarchy in the pen and some normalcy for the relievers. My vote is for Hughes, whose stuff is too good to waste in middle relief.

2. The most important Yankee might be the smallest. Though Brett Garnder stands just 5-foot-10, he has stood tall among the plethora of Yankee outfielders. He's got the most range on defense (and is less stupid in the field than Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon). He's also a constant threat on the basepaths, whether it's stealing bases or going first-to-third on a single. The 25-year-old Gardner will be crucial down the stretch when the other, older outfielders start to fade.

3. Jorge Posada's continued health is absolutely vital. Unless you want Francisco Cervelli calling pitches down the stretch or Jose Molina up in a key September at-bat.

4. They need to play their best against the best. The Yanks are just 2-12 against their main competition in the AL, the Red Sox and the Angels. The 0-8 record against the Red Sox -- the Bombers' worst start vs. Boston in 97 years -- is particularly galling. With 15 more games against the two clubs, Girardi's bunch needs to turn those numbers around

5. Can they get to 90 wins? Since 1995, the Yankees have won fewer than 90 games just twice, in 2000 and 2008. In '00 they won the World Series -- in '08 they missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, they've made the playoffs all 11 times they reached the 90-win plateau. As tough as the AL East is, it's hard to imagine three teams getting to 90 wins. The top two in the division will get playoff berths -- seriously, does anyone expect the wild card to come from anywhere else? -- and the third-place team will go home. Staying ahead of the Rays is more important than getting ahead of the Red Sox. But it'd be nice to do both.

That's all for today. I'll be back tomorrow with first-half grades.

--- Jake Simpson

Alfredo Aceves, who was handed the ball to fill Chien-Ming Wang's spot on the rotation, struggled Thursday against Minnesota, but his mates from the bullpen put together a scoreless group effort that helped the Yankees sweep the series and the season over the Twins.

Lately the bullpen has really been delivered in holding leads and finishing games. Going into the season everyone knew we could count on that Rivera guy at the end of the game, but who knew so many other young guys would be able to step up? In particular, Phil Hughes has established himself as the eighth-inning bridge to Mariano, and although it is believed that he would like to be back in the rotation, he hasn’t complained a bit.

Against the Twins, David Robertson worked one inning after relieving Aceves. Jonathan Albaladejo followed and got his fourth win of the season, pitching 1 2/3 innings. After Albaladejo, the Yankees turned to Phil Coke and Hughes. Then Mariano was able to finish off the game. The Yanks were eager to sweep the game and get out of the Twin Cities fast so that they could catch a flight to Anaheim to play the Angels.

Although the Yankees are hot and the Angels are struggling this year, the Angels always play the Yanks tough. History won’t change tonight as the Angels send Joe Saunders to the mound opposing Joba Chamberlain. The game will start at 10:05 back East, so although it will be late, when these two teams come together it is usually a great game. --- Andrew Cohen.

After spending the first 7 1/2 years of his career in the A.L. Central, CC Sabathia was back on familiar ground Tuesday in Minnesota and he dominated the Twins for seven innings. Sabathia gave up just one run to lower his ERA. to 3.70, as the Yankees steamrolled the Twins 10-2.

Sabathia said after the game that his familiarity with Minnesota's lineup helped him have a great outing. Whatever the case might be, this can only help CC's confidence after getting beat up against Seattle last week at the Stadium.

The Yankees will lean on Sabathia even more now that they had to place Chien-Ming Wang on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. This has forced skipper Joe Girardi to call on reliever Alfredo Aceves to start on Thursday against the Twins. Aceves has been a reliever all year for the Bronx Bombers, so who knows what they can expect from him.

The Yankees could have brought Phil Hughes back out of the bullpen, although they decided not to mess with success and leave him out in the bullpen. Another option was to bring Sergio Mitre from the minors, but Girardi felt that Aceves gives the Yankees the best opportunity to win. Although Aceves will be on a strict pitch count, Girardi felt that his success last year as a starter warranted Alfredo getting the call Thursday. --- Andrew Cohen.

Phil Hughes is taking the Joba Chamberlain route as the young prospect who spend time in the bullpen before ultimately becoming a starter. Joba Chamberlain served as the bridge from the starters to Mariano Rivera before shifted into the starting rotation late last season. Now he has made more starts already this year than he did all last season.

The Yanks got a dose of both young studs Tuesday night when they beat the Mariners to extend their winning streak to six. Chamberlain worked 5 1/3 innings as the starter and held Seattle to three runs. Hughes worked a perfect seventh inning before yielding to Brian Bruney and Rivera.

This was the latest strong relief effort from Hughes, who saw his name swirl in trade rumors the past two off-seasons. The Yanks were unwilling to part with Hughes, even for Johan Santana, and recently Hughes has proved that they made the right decision.

Hughes, who moved to the bullpen on May 31 in favor of Chien-Ming Wang, has appeared out of the bullpen eight times and has given up runs in just one of those outings. He has not given up a run since he gave up two in Boston nearly three weeks ago. Many criticized the Yankees for not doing what it takes to get the best players available, although with Johan struggling and Hughes filling the hype, the Yankees are the ones laughing now.

Ultimately Hughes will be in the rotation. But for now Hughes is going to be counted on heavily to get important outs out of the bullpen as the Yanks try to catch the Red Sox. --- Andrew Cohen.

Phil Hughes worked a perfect seventh inning Monday against the top of the Rays' lineup. This was Hughes' first relief appearance since the 2007 playoffs, and his effectiveness probably prompted every Yankee fan to start envisioning him as Mariano's new dominant setup guy.

In essence, Hughes is auditioning to be the new Joba. His long-range future will be in the rotation, but he can help immediately by fortifying the bridge from the starters to Rivera.

Hughes hadn't pitched in eight days and had plenty of juice on his fastball. He threw just 11 pitches, retiring B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford on grounders and fanning Evan Longoria.

The brevity of his appearance could have a double payoff, if the Yankees need him to work some key situations in the Red Sox series.

The Yankees already got a boost to the bullpen when they called up Alfredo Aceves in early May. Phil Coke isn't a terrible option for situational spots against lefties. If Hughes can become a force, the Yankees can take their time to let Brian Bruney and his bad elbow rehab completely. --- Mr. Wilhelm.

After another strong effort from Phil Hughes on Monday, there was media speculation about the tough roster decision looming for the Yankees. Will they ship Hughes back to the minors or keep Chien-Ming Wang in the bullpen?

Maybe this will become a legitimate question, but at this point, where's the fire? Since that debacle in Baltimore, Hughes has gotten better in each of three starts. He blanked the Rangers for eight innings Monday, holding them to three hits and a walk while striking out six.

Wang showed some good signs last week in his first appearance since his trip to the DL and rehab stint in the minors. But he also allowed two runs and six hits over three innings, which actually lowered his ERA from 34.50 to 25.00.

Wang needs more time to fine-tune, and there is no guarantee of when he will be able to get in those innings as long as he stays in the bullpen. That is the impetus of shifting Wang back into the rotation. But again, what's the rush? Why not ride Hughes while he's hot? --- Costanza's Protege.