The bad, good and the "Or Else"

FASCINATING AND FRUSTRATING
Yesterday's Yankees victory over the Nationals was more of a squeaker than it had any right to be. CC Sabathia was dominant except for one fluke pitch which the punchless Anderson Hernandez managed to send down the left field line for a three-run shot which put the Yankees in a short-lived hole. Nationals starter Shairon Martis had an inexplicably strong start given that he allowed four hits, walked five, and struck out just one in six innings.

Normally, this kind of line would suggest some crooked numbers on the scoreboard, but other than Robinson Cano, the Yankees just couldn't get the big hit. Hideki Matsui, who has been the Godzilla of old on the road but still hasn't gotten a taste of Stadium II's free launch, left six runners on base, twice coming up with runners on first and second and failing to deliver a hit. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez also made outs in key situations, leaving runners in scoring position.

And yet, the win happened anyway, because the Yankees had three things going for them in this game -- their pitching staff and that of the Nationals, aided and abetted by their miserable team defense. Last night's game made two things painfully apparent in regards to the latter: Nick Johnson's mobility just isn't the same since his many injury problems, and Elijah Dukes is miscast as a center fielder. The Nationals just brought Corey Patterson up from the Minor Leagues. Though Patterson is a very poor hitter, he has been a good defensive center fielder in his career, and though usually trading offense for defense isn't a great idea, the Nationals may be past the tipping point where it would be useful to play Patterson; a few balls run down in the gaps would be transformative for their pitching staff.

On their side of the field, the Yankees didn't have to count on Sabathia's high level of endurance, as thanks to his own excellent control he had an economical start. The Nats made contact, but weren't able to do anything with the ball, and since Sabathia passed no one until his last batter, his pitch count remained low by his standards. This in turn meant that Joe Girardi could bypass those bullpen neighborhoods that are a bit dangerous after dark and skip directly to newly returned setup man Brian Bruney and thenceforth to Mariano Rivera. Rivera didn't allow any baserunners, a relative rarity this year, and it was all over. The Yankees made it harder than it should have been, but a win is a win.

WANGERY XI
This has been pointed out before, by me and by others, but as we wait for Chien-Ming Wang's "Or Else" start tonight, I am wondering this: in the four seasons prior to this one, Wang has been a changing pitcher. His strikeout and walk rates have risen year by year, while his ground ball rate, his signature stat, has been dropping.

Wang was mutating even before he got hurt last year. Whether that would have meant he would ultimately have been a better or a worse Wang isn't clear, although the fact that he was still pitching well certainly suggests he might have been fine. Still, what subtle process was taking place with Wang that we (or the Yankees) were not seeing? Are his current mechanical problems due to more than just the injury, also representing the culmination of that process?

As for the "Or Else," what is the Else? If Wang pitches a shutout tonight but gets bombed in his next start, does Girardi reinstate the Else? Shall Wang be on Else-watch in every start for the rest of the season? What if the Else is misconceived in the first place, given that it expects only binary options, Wang Good or Wang Bad? What if it's Wang Mixed? If Wangian Dualism fails, can the Yankees accept that Phil Hughes will also be mixed, understanding that even if Hughes makes a good start only four times in 10, that's superior to Wang's no times in 10? The Else: an ongoing drama. Stay tuned tonight!

THE LAST PIECE?
With Bruney back from the disabled list, perhaps the talk of going outside the organization for a middle reliever will quiet. On the whole, the remade bullpen has been solid. It's a small sample, but we're roughly halfway through the month of June and Phil Coke, David Robertson, Al Aceves, and Hughes have combined for 23 innings, 16 hits, 5 runs, 9 walks, and 26 strikeouts. Even the now defrocked Jose Veras had done reasonably well, allowing just one run in five innings. The only relievers that have had problems this month are Rivera, who was roughed up against Tampa on June 6, and Brett Tomko, who is in the Majors because... because... Mark Melancon, the logical Tomko replacement, had another long outing for Scranton yesterday, pitching 2.2 innings.

It seems as if there's a plan afoot to stretch Melancon out. In any case, the Yankees have roughly six weeks until the non-waiver trading deadline to field what they consider to be their best bullpen. They're not quite there yet, but they're getting closer. What remains now is for Girardi to start testing Robertson and Hughes in some higher leverage situations ... that's if Hughes stays in the bullpen. If not, Wang becomes your low-leverage reliever for the time being and someone who can be trusted to pitch in other than trash time need to replace Tomko.

YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND
Melky Cabrera, May 1 to present: 38 games, .278/.319/.391. Meet the new Melky, same as the old Melky.

HE WAS ALWAYS ON HIS MIND
Mark Teixeira since A-Rod returned: 35 games, .343/.424/.774. Babe Ruth couldn't have done any better. Psychology is a funny thing, but you can't argue with the results -- the Yankees have gone 24-11 in those games.

COMEDY TONIGHT
I'll be discussing these issues and anything else they throw at me tonight at 6 p.m. on the Batting Practice Today Show... only on YES. Watch me during dinner, you're guaranteed not to overeat. See you then.