A Promising Weekend

Raise your hand if you thought the Yankees were winning that game yesterday. Mine were in my pockets.

Winning back-to-back one-run games is a sign you're a good team, and while I'm not ready to say this bunch has turned the corner, it was good to see them get off the mat and wrestle one away from the Twinkies. The Yankees turned around their season last year by just winning series. No crazy win streaks, just consistently taking 2-out-of-3, 3-out-of-4. Even with Sunday's loss, they can still take three of their last four series with a win Monday. A good sign.

I am still concerned about Wang, but I suppose I'll always be that way. He's now 0-2, 5.67 in his last five starts, the longest winless stretch he's had in his career. We all know what he did in the '07 playoffs -- I stand by the fact that was a championship team if Wang doesn't choke -- and he's going to have to exorcise those postseason demons to ever be truly embraced 'round these parts. He has an alarming propensity to throw stinkers like Saturday, days where you wonder where his stuff went. Guys like Halladay, Santana, Webb et al, you know what you're getting on a start-by-start basis. With Wang, that dud is always around the corner, the day where he can't get the sinker down and he gets walloped. So yes, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... the Yankees do not have an ace. They have the best No. 2 pitcher in the game pitching in a No. 1 slot. This is problematic.

Around the Horn: Bobby Abreu is as steady an offensive player as there is in baseball. He's on pace for 20 homers, 105 RBIs, 15 steals, a .300 BA and a .366 OBP. Isn't that more-or-less the exact numbers you would have expected from him this season? The Abreu deal in '06 remains among Cashman's best. ... Is it possible all the talk of Darryl Rasner being the new Aaron Small derailed the right-hander's karmic bliss? Two straight losses for the Razz. ... Morgan Ensberg was designated for assignment on Sunday. From what I've heard, he was an interesting guy to be around. It takes more than being an amusing clubhouse presence to stay in the league, however. Shelly Duncan take note. ... Kyle Farnsworth Terror Threat Level: 5/31, 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 K, 0 BB, 4.26 ERA. Threat Level: GUARDED. ... Jason Giambi cannot play first base, but he can still hit. That would make him a DH, right?