Bullpen

Bad Yankees
If one half-inning foretold the fate of this unit, it was the bottom of the eighth in Boston on April 20. The Yankees held a 6-2 lead, but Mike Myers allowed a double to the one guy he was brought in to retire: David Ortiz. Luis Vizcaino then yielded a walk and a single. Torre hit the panic button and asked closer Mariano Rivera to get five outs. He gave up two singles and a triple, and the Red Sox won, 7-6. What scant trust Torre had in his bullpen was torpedoed. He even has used Pettitte in relief twice and Clemens once. The Yankees have a league-low 11 saves (in 23 opportunities).

Good Yankees
Torre still has Rivera, who gave up nine of the 13 runs he has allowed during a four-game stretch in April. Since then, he has regained command of his cutter and has converted 11 straight saves. His ERA is 3.94, terrible by Rivera's standards but much better than the 12.15 he carried just more than two months ago.

Second half Yankees
Even if everything goes right, middle relief will be a minefield. Lefties are batting .321 against Myers, the lefty specialist. Setup man Scott Proctor has been overused and is vulnerable to control problems. Torre's other options — Brian Bruney and Vizcaino — have an allergy to the strike zone. They've walked 56 in 76 innings.

Chemistry

Bad Yankees
This team is old and sometimes plays with all the energy of a rosin bag. It's more mistake-prone, on defense and on the basepaths, than any Yankees team in recent memory. In late May, Steinbrenner told reporters that general manager Brian Cashman "is on a big hook." There have been rumblings, too, about Torre's job. All the losing, Pettitte says, "made me sick to my stomach." And, because it wouldn't be the Yankees without a touch of the circus, off-field issues around Rodriguez's private life and Giambi's impending conversation with George Mitchell's steroids investigators have added to the fun.

Good Yankees

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos

Though Clemens' contractual arrangement to stay home when the Yankees travel should be a chemistry-buster, his teammates support him. Rodriguez's MVP-type season has kept his critics relatively quiet. The absence of Giambi allows Damon to be a DH, which gives playing time to Melky Cabrera in center field. That's like swapping a glass of warm milk for a double espresso.

Second half Yankees
Torre was worried about his team's psyche in May, and with good reason. "It was something we are all unfamiliar with," Posada says. "No one here knows what to do when everything is going wrong." The team has played better since, but still, it's a fragile group. Another extended swoon, even one much shorter than the April-May nightmare, might be enough to get Yankees fans looking ahead to 2008 earlier than expected.

MORE FROM BASEBALL

Baseball Section Front

A deal on Bradley? You're buying a lemon   CTB: Panda attacks conditioning like a jelly donut GMs head out to work on offseason trades Report: Mets, Phillies interested in Figgins MLB blog: Tigers listening to offers for Granderson Blyleven: Pitching to be had beyond Halladay   Celizic: MLB needs Cuban to breathe new life into game Jamie McCourt denies having affair Varitek exercises option to remain with Red Sox MLB blog: Mariners are bringing back Griffey ... why?   Baseball Section Front   Add Baseball headlines to your news reader: