The Yankee Report

The All-Star game was very good to the Yankees.

Since the end of the game the Yankees are on a 4 game winning streak. They have outscored opponents 25-9. These victories have helped them to move closer to the top of the standings especially in the race for the Wild Card.

They recently passed Oakland and are now chasing down the Twins.

So at the midway point how do the Yankees look?

Starting Pitching - The Yankees are continuing their struggles in this area as they have the last few years. With Chien-Ming Wang down for the foreseeable future and Hughes injured as well the Yanks were relying on Kennedy who was so ineffective they sent him back to AAA. Mussina seems to have found a fountain of youth and has surprised management and fans with his performance this year. Pettitte has also performed admirably over the season. From there it has not looked good as the Yanks have rotated many pitcher in and out looking for the right mix. Ponson is 2-0 since joining the Yanks from the Rangers. Chamberlain and Rasner are not as effective as the Yanks would like either.

Relief Pitching - Surprisingly relief pitching has been a bit stronger this year though still not where it needs to be. Rivera has been quite effective in relief and has not blown a save opportunity this year. If the season ended today he would have the lowest ERA for a season than any year of his career!

Hitting/Fielding - Giambi is having a good hitting year but Cano and Jeter are down as it Cabrera. A-Rod, Abreu and Damon are effective but Damon has missed some time due to injuries. Giambi's FPCT is actually higher than it has been in 5 years!

Injuries - There again is the rub. Posada is out for the year and will have season ending surgery. It was advised that Matsui have season ending surgery as well but he has so far declined this option with the hopes of making it back later in the season. Numerous injuries to the outfielders and pitchers have taken a toll.

So in conclusion if the Yanks can continue on the tear they are on right now they have a good shot art making the Wild Card spot. I don't see them taking their Division as Tampa Bay has been surprisingly good this year. The key will be the back end of the starting rotation and great hitting to put up the kind of numbers we have seen the last 4 games.

Until next time I remain your Yankees Beat Writer.