At Slumps' End

During the past few series, a number of Yankees who were slumping have awakened. Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano have returned offensively and defensively. This has put the Bronx Bombers in the right direction again. They've got to take it one step at a time now. First... aim for 500 and maintain it. Then go after the wild card. And eventually aim for the division. With everyone hitting the way they are, this lineup can actually be more dangerous than last year's Murderer's Row.

Wang and Pettitte have been consistent with their pitching. Mussina, Clemens and Clippard have been OK. If these 3 can step it up a level, the Yankees will have a great rotation. That will carry over to Rivera's performance as well. I think Rivera is still the best closer out there. It's just an odd year because of the lack of save opportunities. The middle relief is still weak though. We'll have to see if something happens before the trade deadline.

The Yankees just added number 6 to their current winning streak. Sweeping the Pirates was a good start in their interleague run, but there's a long way to go and they need to keep this streak going. As they beat up on the National League, the Red Sox will likely do the same. The Diamondbacks and the Big Unit are next.