Yanks' Latest Victory Is Another Inside Job

Yankees 9, Tigers 3

The Yankees always study other teams, hunting for players who can help, but their most important scouting last month was within their organization.

General Manager Brian Cashman and his advisers watched from the stands in Trenton and Scranton, trying to see if the future could help the present. They liked what they saw.

“That led us to stand down on some trade opportunities,” Cashman said. “I had some evaluators, who I trust as my right- and left-hand men, tell me, ‘Our bullpen right now is in Triple-A, and we should try it and see what happens.’ ”

It was a gamble to rely on rookies while trailing in a pennant race, but Cashman listened and trusted his instincts. The result was a game like yesterday’s, when the Yankees thumped the Detroit Tigers, 9-3, with three perfect innings from two rookie relievers and four runs batted in from Wilson Betemit.

Betemit was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Scott Proctor, a reliever Cashman deemed expendable because he believed Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramírez could thrive in the majors.

thrive v. 茁壯成長

Cashman is right so far, and the subtler moves have helped keep the Yankees in contention. They won the last three games against the Tigers this weekend, after a three-game losing streak, and they trail Boston by four in the American League East.

subtle a. 精湛的，精巧的

“I give Cash a lot of credit, because during this whole thing leading up to the end of July, you still have to evaluate,” Manager Joe Torre said. “It's not easy, especially in this town, to give the appearance of not doing anything and still helping yourself. Of course, Ramírez came out of nowhere. He had been released by the same organization twice.”

That organization is the Angels, a team the Yankees face for three games in Anaheim starting tonight. After Chamberlain retired the side on nine pitches — all strikes — in the seventh, Ramírez struck out the side in the eighth, getting each hitter on a changeup and slapping his glove with his hand in excitement.

After Betemit smashed a three-run double to center field in the eighth inning, extending the Yankees’ lead from three runs to six, Mariano Rivera took a seat in the bullpen. Ramírez went back out for the ninth and retired the last three hitters in order.

The sight of Ramírez and Chamberlain blanking a powerful lineup, a day after Kyle Farnsworth, Luis Vizcaíno and Rivera did likewise, is a change from the first half of the season, when Farnsworth, Proctor and Brian Bruney — all right-handers who rely on fastballs — were the setup men.

“They had ability, no question, but it was similar,” Torre said. “Now, we have different things we can do — sliders, changeups. I think it helps not to give the same look.”

Chien-Ming Wang (14-6) was not sharp, allowing three runs and nine hits in six innings. Wang acknowledged he was rattled by the Tigers' aggressive base running in the fifth, when he balked a runner to third, walked a hitter and allowed a double steal.

rattle v. 使...驚慌失惜

But Johnny Damon's upper-deck home run in the sixth against Jeremy Bonderman (10-6) broke a 3-3 tie and gave Chamberlain a chance to protect another lead. He has pitched in five games, all victories, allowing 2 hits and striking out 11 in 7 scoreless innings.

Yesterday, he faced three of the same hitters he saw Friday, altering his patterns to Gary Sheffield and Carlos Guillén and retiring both of them.

“It was great,” Chamberlain said. “They knew what was coming at them, and we tried to have a different plan.”

A few lockers away, Ramírez was also smiling. His first Yankees stint had ended in tears, when he broke down in a postgame interview July 20 after allowing a grand slam and four walks while retiring no hitters.

Ramírez pitched that game with two weeks of rest. With Proctor gone and one fewer pitcher on the staff, he should not get stale anymore. His confidence seems to be back, too.

stale a. 無精打采的

“When I got to Triple-A, I didn't think something negative,” Ramírez said. “I went down there to work hard every day to come back. I’m going to stay here now.”

The presence of Betemit, who essentially replaced Miguel Cairo on the roster, allows Torre to rest players he would otherwise use every day. Betemit started four of the seven games on this homestand, resting Derek Jeter, Robinson Canó and Andy Phillips. He has also played third to spell Alex Rodriguez.

spell v. 輪替

Torre has also used Shelley Duncan, a power bat off the bench, and the new backup catcher José Molina, who started all three games in Cleveland this month and helped the Yankees sweep the series.

“We knew early on that we weren't playing up to our potential, but we knew the nine guys we were throwing out on the field were pretty good,” Damon said. “You'd look around the league, and you'd pretty much take everyone. Now, we have 13 guys you would take. It's fun.”

The person having the most fun may be Cashman, whose alterations have made a difference.

“The first half was a nightmare, a horror story, and in the second half, we're trying to change the ending,” Cashman said. “Our team is playing well right now, and we've got a lot more strengths than weaknesses.”