Yankees are in another fix

Will they correct situation - again?

It all just used to fix itself.

Last year, the Yankees had a similar record, 15-16, and fell all the way to 21-29. But they went 73-39 the rest of the way to earn the wild card.

They were 11-19 in 2005 and went 84-48 the rest of the year.

In 2004, they started 10-11 and went 91-50 the rest of the way.

But that was then and this is now. Last year, the Yankees got a boost from the arrival of Roger Clemens, but as far as we know, Clemens isn't walking through that door.

There's also no David Justice or Shawn Chacon or Aaron Boone around to give them a boost, and if general manager Brian Cashman sticks to his philosophy of staying young, a trade-deadline deal for a Roy Oswalt isn't likely to happen, either.

Cashman decided to do it his way, even if it means he hits the highway if it doesn't work out. He wanted to stick with youngsters Philip Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain rather than give them up in a Johan Santana deal.

Chamberlain has fared well, but Hughes - the youngest starting pitcher in the majors at 21 - is out until July with a cracked rib. Kennedy (0-2, 8.37) is still very inconsistent.

Elsewhere in the rotation, Mike Mussina (3-3, 4.73 ERA) is getting more and more unreliable, which leaves them with Andy Pettitte (3-3, 3.93) and Chien-Ming Wang (6-0, 3.00).

It doesn't appear that they'll rely on Japanese lefty Kei Igawa to bail them out; they've invested $46 million in him ($26 million posting fee, plus five-year, $20 million contract), but he's at Triple A Scranton. Nor do you hear mention of the rehabbing Carl Pavano, who told this reporter he feels he can pitch after the All-Star break, almost a year after Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees have an aging lineup and are missing All-Star Jorge Posada, whose rotator cuff tendinitis could keep him from catching for another six weeks. It's a devastating loss.

The Yankees will primarily use Jose Molina in Posada's place, with Chad Moeller the backup. The Yankees used four catchers in April, which they hadn't done since 1949. Superstar Alex Rodriguez is also on the disabled list. Jason Giambi appears to be aging before our eyes. Bobby Abreu can still hit, but his defense is declining.

Is this a team that can rebound and be a factor?

"You can never rule out The Empire," said Red Sox president Larry Lucchino.

"I think we're going to be fine," said Johnny Damon. "I think last year was much worse than this.

"We'll find a way to get by with our pitching. We still have an explosive lineup. I'm telling you, even though Hughes wasn't pitching well - and now we know he was hurt - I still believe that before all is said and done, he'll be the ace of this staff. Kennedy is going to be excellent, too."

While Hughes misses two months, Darrell Rasner (4-0, 0.87 at Scranton) will fill his shoes. Manager Joe Girardi figures the Yankees will need a No. 5 starter only three times in May.

Some observers of the Yankees feel they miss the calming influence of Joe Torre, and that Girardi is far too uptight. But one Yankee player said, "That's just crap. That's just media talk. Joe Girardi hasn't made anyone feel uptight. He understands players as well as anyone because he was one himself not long ago.

"People just look for things to point to, but the fact is, we're just not catching breaks with our offense."

Girardi had used a major league-high 28 lineups through Friday and has nine players on the disabled list (tying with Texas for the most) but he isn't making excuses.

"I come in here with a smile on my face every day and try to win," he said Friday. "You never want to play injured, but you have to deal with it. It's not a video game where nobody gets hurt."

The team is also surviving Hank Steinbrenner's salvos. First he suggested that Chamberlain be switched to the rotation, and after Friday's win over Seattle, he said, "I'm very disappointed with the way the season has gone, period. We just can't win one out of five games, every time Wang pitches.

"It's not going to work. It's not a good win percentage. Starting pitching is where it's at, especially in the postseason. At this point, we'll see if we even make the postseason."

Still, the Yankee clubhouse appeared loose, with no angst, before and after Friday's win.

Poor starts in the recent past have been shrugged off until a time when the lineup clicks and the pitching gets to the back of the bullpen. Can this team, with a payroll near $200 million, correct itself again?

Mariners try to stay afloat

Late in the week, Seattle manager John McLaren was making roster moves, shuffling lineups, holding meetings with coaches, anything to revive the Mariners, who have struggled under .500 for most of the year after being projected by some as a playoff team.

"We've gone through the same things that most teams have," said McLaren. "We've had the flu, we've had injuries, we've had cold bats, and we've had bullpen problems.

"I guess it's not unique to us, but we need to turn things around and we're doing whatever we can to do that."

McLaren and GM Bill Bavasi jettisoned veterans Brad Wilkerson and Greg Norton and brought in catching prospect Jeff Clement and outfielder/DH Wladimir Balentien from Triple A Tacoma.

After J.J. Putz walked in the tying run in the 10th inning Thursday night vs. Cleveland, McLaren and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre put together a throwing plan for the All-Star closer, who was activated April 22 after starting the season on the 15-day disabled list.

"We're basically going to have him throw five-minute side sessions every day to get his control and location worked out," McLaren said.

McLaren and Bavasi are on the hot seat. In Clement, who hit .397 at Triple A with 5 homers and 30 RBIs, they have a top catching prospect McLaren hopes will light a fire under Kenji Johjima (.175).

"Clement's got 30-home run power," said McLaren. "We're going to DH him, play him at first, and catch him a little. We're going to do catching drills with him every day to make sure he keeps developing. But we need his bat."

The Mariners' salvation has been their starting pitching, with Erik Bedard shaking off an early injury to team with Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, and Jarrod Washburn. They also have gotten a good comeback from first baseman Richie Sexson, who has six homers and appears to be working pitchers better.

Putting Johnny on the spot with Ellsbury, Clemens, etc.

A few questions for Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon:

Does Jacoby Ellsbury remind you of you?

JD: "Ever since he played in the College World Series, people were saying he's another Johnny Damon. I hope he'll have as long a career as I've had and play 14 or more years. He's already got a championship - the SOB - in his first year. He's explosive and he's not afraid to run. He's got no fear. If he runs into an out, he knows he has guys behind him who can bail him out."

Who's better looking?

JD: "Ah, well, I guess if you ask anyone up in Boston now, they'll say him. If you asked them a few years ago, they would have said me. I'm sure he'll do all right."

You're 34 years old with more than 2,100 hits. Do you ever think about playing a long time and getting 3,000 hits and possibly making it to the Hall of Fame?

JD: "I'm starting to think about it. I never thought about it because it's a team game and there are so many pitches I took to try to work the pitch count to make it easier on people like [David] Ortiz, Mike Sweeney, and Manny [Ramírez]. I mean, what if I just swung and got the hits and all the times I played when I shouldn't have to make sure other guys stay fresh? If you think about that over seven or eight years, how many would I have had? I'm starting to think about it more."

Will you play long enough to do it?

JD: "This past offseason, I was able to get so refreshed. Since 2001, I've never had a time to take a break. Whether it was going through my divorce, dealing with the kids, getting married, becoming a free agent, all that stuff year after year, holy crap, when do I get a break? I'm actually at the point where I feel pretty good. I know a lot of people think I need to get 3,000. After this year, if I stay healthy, I climb into the top 100 [in hits], then after that top 75 and then top 50 and take it from there."

What's your take on all of Roger Clemens's problems?

JD: "I just don't know when baseball turned into a gossip column like it has. It's incredible how people get great satisfaction in trying to ruin a Hall of Famer's life, turning up stuff that might have happened a long time ago. In the time I spent with him here, I always felt he had a good home life and was very close to his family. At least with me, after I wrote that book a few years ago, I told everything about my past. There's nothing left to tell with me."

Etc.

Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. Brad Wilkerson was the Red Sox' first choice for what wound up being Sean Casey's job. Wilkerson was designated for assignment by the Mariners; 2. Manny Ramírez's new ESPN commercial is a hoot; 3. Is there a shortstop alive with more range than the Angels' Erick Aybar (please, no "range factor" stats)?; 4. Pittsburgh was the only team with at least one double in each of its first 28 games. Truly apropos of nothing; 5. If I'm Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi and looking at the sad state of my offense, I've got to at least be thinking about Barry Bonds.

Cliff is in peak form
His career performance has been scattered at best, but the roll Indians lefty Cliff Lee is on right now has piqued the senses of baseball scouts. One American League bird-dog said of Lee, "Oozing confidence right now. I've seen him when it's been the exact opposite. You always wonder with him: Will it last? Right now, if you're the Indians, you have to be thrilled." His 5-0 record and 0.96 ERA are one thing. The other is the .163 on-base percentage by opponents (21 base runners in 37 2/3 innings), the lowest over a pitcher's first five starts in 99 years - since Frank Smith held opponents to a .159 OBP in 1909. Lee won 18 games for the Tribe in 2005 and was in the minors in '07.

Pitching in with the bat
If you're an American League team, don't you dare try to make a deal for Arizona's Micah Owings unless you plan to DH him on days he doesn't pitch. After hitting a pinch-hit home run last Wednesday against the Astros, Owings's career batting average improved to .354, with 5 homers and 18 RBIs in 79 at-bats. To put it in some context, Babe Ruth hit .303 with 4 homers and 23 RBIs in his first 102 at-bats. Owings is also 4-1 with a 4.66 ERA in six starts.

Jocketty has to go on Red alert
It's going to take Walt Jocketty some time to get back into the general manager mode after replacing Wayne Krivsky in Cincinnati. From all indications, he wasn't quite ready to step into this, feeling he would spend the year evaluating the organization as a special adviser to owner Bob Castellini. Now all of that has been accelerated. Jocketty will have some tough personnel decisions to make, including free agent-to-be Adam Dunn and an aging Ken Griffey.

Turnbow takes turn for the worse
The 43 pitches he threw to get two outs against the Cubs in mop-up duty last Wednesday were the last straw for Derrick Turnbow, who was designated for assignment by the Brewers Friday after amassing a 15.63 ERA and walking 13 in 6 1/3 innings. In a perfect world, GM Doug Melvin would send Turnbow, 30, back to the minors to work on his control, but with no minor league options remaining on Turnbow, Melvin spent Friday entertaining trade offers. He said three teams called pronto to express interest. "If I can't get something for him, I'll try to get him through waivers and see if we can get him back to Triple A," Melvin said. The former Sox executive said he really had no choice. "We've played so many close games," said Melvin. "We had eight one-run games in the first month, and when a reliever struggles two or three straight times, you've got to do something. Fans start getting all over these guys. [Eric] Gagné struggled, he got booed. Trevor Hoffman, who will be in the Hall of Fame, struggled and he got booed. There's no doubt a team could get Derrick and get a very productive reliever if he's allowed the time to straighten out his issues. Maybe we'll get a chance to do that if he stays with us."

Digging for lefthanded complement
The Phillies are hoping to add a lefty to their bullpen to help out J.C. Romero. One name that appears to be on Pat Gillick's mind is Steve Kline, released by the Team That Bonds Built and now pitching for the Phillies' Triple A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The other worry - and this seems to be happening to pitchers leaguewide - is the reduction of velocity in Brett Myers's fastball. Once up to 92-95 miles per hour, he's only been cranking it up to 88-89 this year. Pitching coach Rich Dubee is trying to get Myers to buy into a more extensive long-toss program between starts.

Short hops
Scott Hatteberg is a veteran bat who will be available. He's not seeing much time in Cincinnati (0 for 7 as a pinch hitter) . . . It's fun sometimes just to scroll down the Mexican League stats. Former Red Sox Roberto Petagine and Jose Offerman are raking. Petagine was hitting .393 with 5 homers and 25 RBIs (1.270 OPS) for Diablos Rojas del Mexico. Offerman, 40, was at .369 with 6 dingers, 23 RBIs, and a .990 OPS . . . And don't look now, but Trot Nixon, who was hitting below .200 early in the season, is up into the .290s for the Tucson Sidewinders, Arizona's Triple A affiliate . . . Never would have guessed that Kansas City righty Zack Greinke has the lowest ERA in the majors since the All-Star break last year (1.94) . . . Seth Smith, who struck out against Jonathan Papelbon to end the 2007 World Series, is hitting .272 for Colorado Springs, the Rockies' Triple A affiliate . . . Happy 58th birthday, Jack "Home Run" Baker.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com