Six in a row

God, I love playing the National League.

Another night, another win at home over the Padres. Even Darrell Rasner vs. Jake Peavy wasn't enough for the hapless Friars. That's six in a row and nine of 11 folks.

Was it just me, or did it seem like the Yankees were toying with San Diego tonight? Even when the pitching faltered, the offense would answer back immediately to keep the lead safe. Alex Rodriguez homered for the fourth time in as many games, Johnny Damon continued to be a spark plug at the top of the lineup, and Mariano Rivera kept up his Superman act of 2008.

This win did put all the Yankees' warts on display in a subtle way, however. Rasner's start was nothing to get excited about (five innings, two runs, five walks), and the fact that he's now the No. 4 starter in the rotation is a scary thought. Wilson Betemit is a shitstorm defensively, booting yet another routine grounder in the first (this team needs a capable defensive first baseman in the Doug Mientkiewicz mode. Hey, how about Doug Mientkiewicz?) Last but not least, the bullpen remains a huge weakness -- Edwar Ramirez is always one high changeup away from disaster and Kyle Farnsworth proved for the 3,484th time since joining the Yankees that he is a bad, bad baseball player.

So yes, contrary to their record the past week, the Yankees are not perfect. But this is not the time to nitpick. Let's enjoy this hot streak. At 39-33, the Yankees have started their march toward the postseason more or less at the exact same time as a year ago. Joba goes for the sweep tomorrow. It seems inevitable, doesn't it?

Keep winning series. Keep winning series. Keep winning series.