A striking performance

He showed that he's making progress toward being a full-fledged starter, then the bullpen showed why the Yankees need him just as much there as they do in the rotation.

And the circus that is his personal life never seems to stop. There was some speculation that Chamberlain didn't start well - four runs in the first inning, with Jason Bay hitting a three-run homer - because he was pitching with a troubled mind. His mother, Jacqueline Standley, 44, was arrested over the weekend in Lincoln, Neb., for allegedly selling 1 gram of a substance believed to be methamphetamine to an undercover officer for $110 in February. She was charged Monday with delivery of an exceptionally hazardous drug. Her bail was set at $5,000.

Chamberlain said, "I would never use anything as an excuse," but it was simply the latest incident in his roller-coaster life. He never lived with his mother after age 10 and hadn't kept in touch with her except for an occasional phone call.

As Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before the game, "Joba has had a tough early life. He's had a lot of things to deal with."

Last year in Boston Chamberlain had to leave the team after his father, Harlan, who is crippled from childhood polio, became ill. Chamberlain also pleaded guilty to driving under the influence this past offseason.

While dealing with such off-field issues, he is also trying to make the transition from reliever to starter.

Despite being on a roll last night, Chamberlain was yanked by Girardi after striking out the first two batters in the sixth because his pitch count was at 108. In a way, it was another case of a young pitcher being victimized by a ridiculously preplanned pitch count.

Chamberlain is as strong as a horse. He'd just struck out J.D. Drew and Jeff Bailey when Girardi came out - with the crowd booing - and informed him he'd had enough.

"I felt really strong," said Chamberlain. "I understand. I'm not necessarily happy about it, but I understand.

"He also understands it's my fifth start; we've got a lot more to go. He understands I'm going to be a little frustrated with that.

"I felt strong then. I felt stronger and stronger as I went. That's kind of the way it's went throughout my career, just get stronger and stronger as I go. I just have to work out the kinks and be better."

Girardi said he is trying to preserve Chamberlain, who had not thrown more than 90 pitches in a start, for the long haul.

But it sure looked as though he could have gone at least another inning.

His was one of those striking performances we've seen a few times against the Red Sox this season. Like Carl Crawford stealing six bases, Matt Garza throwing a one-hitter for 7 2/3 innings, or Cliff Lee hurling eight shutout innings. This could have been even better.

Chamberlain was kicking himself for the poor first inning, which ran up his pitch count, because after that he was mowing down hitters like a vintage Roger Clemens, his idol.

Girardi was pleased with Chamberlain's overall performance but puzzled by his first-inning woes. Is he conserving himself at the beginning because he's afraid he'll fade toward the end? Chamberlain was asked that but didn't really offer a cogent answer.

Girardi clearly didn't understand the lack of velocity, the poor location in the first inning. After losing five straight to the Red Sox, Girardi is searching for answers.

"I'm not a psychologist," said Girardi. "His starts so far have been pretty good, but tonight he had a tough first inning, which isn't good. Why? We've got to figure that out."

"Once Joba got going, you could tell as he got into the flow of the game, he got better," said Sox manager Terry Francona.

Chamberlain had no explanation for what happened in the first.

"You're just thinking you have to keep the team in the game," said Chamberlain. "Josh [Beckett] is on the other side, so you know it's gonna be a battle. You have to try and get deep in the game and keep your team in the game."

All Chamberlain could say was that he started getting into a good rhythm and his velocity started to rise. He said he wasn't going for strikeouts, but he could feel the confidence grow as hitters began swinging and missing.

Chamberlain appears capable of extraordinary things in his career. Last night was an example. At some point, he needs his life off the field to smooth out. That might be his biggest hurdle.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.