Bombers bullish on revamped pen after successful stand

It's no secret that the Yankees' starting pitchers had an abysmal week to open the season, failing to reach the sixth inning in each of the first five games. But overshadowed in the 2-3 home stand was the Yankees' bullpen, which put together a spectacular week while picking up the rotation's slack.

"Even when we have a problem like we did (last) week, we're going to be okay," pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "We have the arms to get the job done. This bullpen is going to be pretty special." Finally, last night, Carl Pavano went seven innings in the Yankees' 8-2 win, which Brian Bruney and Kyle Farnsworth closed out with a scoreless inning apiece. Last year, the formula was simple: Scott Proctor to Farnsworth to Mariano Rivera. Those three pitchers were Joe Torre's mainstays when the team had a lead in the seventh inning, and it worked well for most of the season. Continue