The Pitching Breakdown

I'll be posting a breakdown for the lineup pretty soon. But without further ado, here's the pitching breakdown for the first half of the season:

Bullpen:

Aceves-2.49 ERA over 43 innings is second only to Mariano. Enormously important contributor.

Veras/Marte-Mistakes from the beginning. Marte showed us something last year, but was inconsistent and hurt all spring. Veras never established himself.

Melancon-Promising stuff. May need time to put it all together. Hasn't had a big impact.

Tomko-The garbage man. It's noble work he does.

Ramirez-He looked great last year, but a series of poor performances landed him in AAA where he seems to belong. Needs to get stronger.

Albaladejio-Has the size and strength to be very good. Had a few memorable innings this year, in which he got the nickname (Johnny A-ball). Inspires some confidence.

Coke-WHIP: 1.04. BAA .195. Last season's numbers weren't a complete fluke. He can pitch, and he's a warrior.

Bruney-Dominant for a while. Then hurt. Then motormouthing. Now mediocre. Which Bruney will emerge after the break? Nobody knows.

Hughes-A roller coaster first half saw Hughes go from AAA to a starting job when Wang's hips were abducted. Now he's in the bullpen and is "turn out the lights and go home" dominant. Go figure.

Robertson-An eye-catching .193 BAA, best on the staff. Extremely effective so far, seems like a finished professional with excellent focus.

Mariano-After a slow start Mariano is back in form. He's fine, and he'll be there in October if the Yankees need him.

Starters:

Wang-Never recovered his form after the injury last season. Was lit up spectacularly in his first three starts. Had a stint in the minors, strengthened himself, and got it going again, first from the bullpen and then as a starter. Has had good starts since the second return, but is hurt again with a "strain".

Pettitte-Has never been a dominant pitcher, but a solid one who gives innings and is relaxed in the toughest spots. A true professional. Needs to be watched closely this year, as he's on pace to post the highest ERA of his career.

Chamberlain-Has had a few impressive starts, one of them being a 12 strikeout performance against Boston. Seems to be more valuable coming out of the bullpen. May be tiring already. But who will replace him? Hughes? Someone in AAA? Or an acquisition?

CC Sabathia-After a slow start that earned him the nickname "CC Sabustia", CC has been a steady workhorse, with extended periods of near-dominance and an ability go consistently go deep into games. He's a pro, and has handled his role with grace and a very, very wide smile. He may become a Yankee, yet.

AJ Burnett-AJ has had more clutch performances than any other starting pitcher. His ERA is the best on the starting staff, and he's the only man on the Yankees with more than 100 strikeouts. He's a warrior, a positive clubhouse addition, and a winner. In short, he's been our most valuable pitcher this year. He had a great first half, but Yankees are not made in April and May. Yankees are made in October.