OPINION

By Sean Deveney

updated 8:24 p.m. ET July 7, 2007

Sean Deveney

It just hasn't been a Yankees type of year. They are shuffling along near .500, having erased the momentum of a nine-game winning streak by losing nine of 11 soon thereafter. Boston's taillights are fading in the A.L. East distance, and five teams rank ahead of the pinstripes in the wild-card race. It might behoove Yankees fans to prepare for the unthinkable: a playoff-free autumn, the first in 13 years.

If they've forgotten how to root for a team with few playoff prospects, they should grab the nearest Orioles fan. It means spending the summer looking ahead to September call-ups and making lists of possible new managers. And, naturally, devising a plan to somehow keep up with those pesky (ahem) Blue Jays.

Bury the Yankees in July? We've seen enough of this team over time to know that's unwise. Looking back at the good and bad of the Yankees' first half, it's clear the team has plenty of room to improve in the second half — but has holes big enough to make a playoff run a long shot.

Starting Pitching

Bad Yankees
If Carl Pavano is your opening day starter, you're asking for trouble. The Yankees started Pavano because of an injury to ace Chien-Ming Wang and, somehow, the whole rotation proceeded to get Carl-ed up. (Pavano, boo-boo prone, has missed time with such injuries as a sore right shoulder, cracked ribs suffered in a car accident, bruised buttocks and now elbow surgery.) Wang and Mike Mussina hit the D.L., and rookie Kei Igawa was a disaster. That forced the Yankees to call on 12 starters, including seven rookies. And get this: When phenom Phil Hughes was rehabbing his hamstring in May, he sprained his ankle while jogging. Pavanoesque!

Good Yankees
George Steinbrenner shelled out $28 million for 44-year-old Roger Clemens(who now has 350 career wins), a move that should bring stability. Andy Pettitte has lacked run support, but he has made every scheduled start and ranks in the A.L.'s top 10 in innings. Wang's sinker has been deadly — he was 4-0 in June.

Second half Yankees
June 22 was monumental. For the first time, the team completed a five-game stretch in which it trotted out the rotation it had envisioned: Wang, Mussina, Pettitte, Clemens and Igawa. OK, the Yankees went 2-3 in those games. Still, Wang and Pettitte have pitched well. Mussina's inconsistency is baffling, but Clemens figures to be Clemens. Igawa will try to straighten out his flawed mechanics, and if he fails, the Yankees can turn to Hughes again. That could de-Pavano-fy the rotation.

Offense

Bad Yankees

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The distinction of batting third for the Yankees dates to Babe Ruth. So it's a bit odd to see current 3-spot occupant Bobby Abreu bunt for hits. That's what it has come to for Abreu, who had two bunt singles in three games in late June. The right fielder hit .330 for the Yankees last year after being acquired from the Phillies. But for much of this season, manager Joe Torre says, "He was a mess." After briefly showing a pulse, Abreu closed June on a 4-for-38 skid. That's not to say he's the only trouble spot. Second baseman Robinson Cano's average has dipped from .342 last year to .270. Two of the team's three leading '06 home run hitters — Jason Giambi (torn plantar fascia) and Johnny Damon (abdominal strain) — have been slowed by injury.

Good Yankees
There has been more attention paid to Alex Rodriguez's bat than his buxom dinner dates, a good sign for the Bombers. Rodriguez leads baseball with 29 home runs and 82 RBIs. Surely, it's nice for Yankees fans to see two of their oldest favorites — Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada — ranked in the top 10 in batting in the majors.

Second half Yankees
This lineup always is going to be tough on pitchers. It's patient, ranks second in the majors in on-base percentage and doesn't strike out often. But the team needs another power threat, preferably at first base. The Yankees have run through four primary first basemen this season (plus three others), and their 37 RBIs from that position rank 13th in the A.L.

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