A good turn for Yankees

Before we get to the major order of business, I invite you to ponder the following pitching lines.

All three were "quality starts" (yeah, I know, I can just hear Bob Gibson right now). All kept their teams in the game. And all had different outcomes.

IP	R	ER	BB	K	P
6	3	3	1	5	97
6	2	2	4	9	120
6	3	3	2	7	108

Which one do you think rated such rave reviews as "What A Start!" and "Triumphant"? The correct answer is the third one, the six hits and three earned runs, the two walks and the seven strikeouts, and the 108 pitches. It reminds us yet again just how much of sports achievement in general and pitching in particular is contextual. For that was the Roger Clemens line in his 2007 debut Saturday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Because his offense swung the bats and because the Pirates played a simply abominable game in the field, he was the official winning pitcher in a 9-3 Yankees triumph.

The first line belonged to Julian Tavarez Saturday night in Phoenix. You'll take that from Julian Tavarez every time. Any major league manager would take that from his perceived fifth starter in any given start. It's the latest in a surprising string of helpful starts for a guy who is making a bid to be the team's unsung hero. What that performance got him was a no-decision in a 4-3 Red Sox comeback win.

The middle line was submitted by Daisuke Matsuzaka Sunday afternoon. If you saw the game, you already know that what killed him were a pair of leadoff walks, which so often seem to be more damaging than leadoff singles. (I'd love a Baseball Prospectus study on that one. Oh, wait. There probably already is one.) But he obviously pitched well. The only reason you won't take that every time out is that Daisuke is supposed to be a dominant pitcher, not just a good one. Walks have hurt him a lot this year. He, of course, got the loss. He has pitched far worse and walked away with a win.

The Yankees assume that was just the beginning for Roger, who was, after all, competing against real live batters in a real live game for just the fourth time since announcing his latest comeback. In that context, it really was a tremendous performance. His splitter was postseason nasty. The Yankee assumption is that he'll only get better.

But mortality has crept in. Like Curt Schilling, Roger's fastball ceiling is in the 91-92 miles per hour range, a big comedown from the high 90s of his prime. Schilling is in the process of making the appropriate mental and technical adjustments necessary to reinvent himself. The Oakland A's would testify that the New Curt is a pretty effective pitcher.

But it will be interesting to see how Roger fares. He was always outspoken that he wished to be a power pitcher, and nothing but a power pitcher. There are better teams out there than the Pirates. The righthanded-hitting Jack Wilson took one of Roger's fastballs on the outside corner and drove it deep enough to right-center to score a man from first.

All good pitchers need location to be good, but some are more accustomed to getting away with poorly located "mistakes" than others because their stuff is superior. I would doubt seriously that Roger can get away with said mistakes against the good American League teams. I also rather doubt that Roger has made the concession to mortality the way Schilling has.

Finally, there is the health factor. Roger will be 45 on Aug. 4. He spent a great deal of time during his postgame press conference discussing his legs. He expressed great relief that by pitching Saturday he didn't go "backward." No one knows for sure, but is it not more reasonable to predict that he will break down at some point than that he won't? If you're the Yankees, that's a major worry when you consider that he is essentially getting a million dollars per start.

It's all going to be very interesting to watch as Roger settles into whatever he's going to be. The Yankees are so desperate to win that they are investing this extraordinary amount of money in someone who is being asked only to give them "quality starts" such as the one he gave them Saturday. Perhaps that's all they need to make it into October. I would, however, prepare myself for a deal that brings the Bombahs an actual major league first baseman. (Don't forget that Todd Helton was available in the winter, and isn't Mark Teixeira supposedly expendable right now?)

They're playing better now; there is no doubt about that. They have won six straight and 9 of 11. They have the loss-column deficit to single digits and they are only five losses out of the wild card with 101 to play. Bobby Abreu has awakened from his coma, A-Rod is back hitting again, and Johnny Damon, freed from the obligation to play a position he can no longer handle in a big league manner, is established as a DH. Chien-Ming Wang is a top-of-the-line starter, Andy Pettitte is solid, and even the once-scary set-up corps is settling down.

So, yes, there's going to be intrigue in the American League East, after all. The Red Sox must confront their own demons. How long can they put up with the anemic OPS numbers of Julio Lugo (.598) and Coco Crisp (.581)? Is it time to ask, politely, of course, when Manny is going to be Manny with the bat in his hands? His nine-year run of 30-100 seasons is going to end (he's currently at 8-33) if he doesn't start to pick it up soon.

Mike Lowell has been a savior, but you have to be concerned about this thumb injury. The one piece of recent good news is that J.D. Drew now actually is showing a pulse. Not to put pressure on Mr. Low Key or anything, but is this a signal that he's actually planning on earning that $14 million Theo has so benevolently thrust at him? What a concept.

No complete and utter runaway. Sorry. You'll be watching those Yankees scores every night, just like always. There's no need to panic. A big lead provides insulation when problems occur. You must play the "If Somebody Had Told You" game.

You know, if on Opening Day somebody had told you the Sox would be 9 1/2 up on June 12, you'd have said, "Nah, no way," and you know it.

Don't panic, but be concerned. Concern is good. It keeps you on your toes. Anyway, you want the Yankees to be good. They're more hateable when they're good.

And that's the general idea around here, isn't it?

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at ryan@globe.com.