Andy Pettitte has shown erosion in his effectiveness while facing top teams this season. In two games against the Royals and Orioles, Andy pitched reasonably well, looking exceptionally sharp while hurling seven scoreless innings against Baltimore. Conversely, he was blasted by the Tigers and Indians in his last two starts and gave up three runs in each of his performances against the hot hitting Tampa Bay Rays.

While Pettitte maintains a respectable 3.93 ERA with a 3-3 record, his 1.42 WHIP shows an increase in walks and hits per nine innings, indicating a depletion in command and dynamics that overshadows the superficiality of his base numbers. Pettitte has surrender 41 hits in 36.2 innings, walking 11 in that span. Take away his seven shutout innings against Baltimore in which he walked no one, and that's an uncharacteristically high walk total per game — especially considering the number of hits accompanying those walks.

For veteran Mike Mussina, inconsistency has also plagued his season. Mussina was pounded in two games by the hated Red Sox, left staring bewildered into the stands as Boston sprayed his 85 mph fastballs all over Fenway Park. His 1.27 WHIP reflects his low walk totals, but it is the ease at which opposing batsmen hit the pitches he threw within the strike zone that is troubling. Mussina has surrendered 36 hits in 32.1 innings, contributing to his 4.73 ERA — a problem that he must remedy to be successful, especially with the Yanks current offensive woes.

On the positive side, in his last two starts — following a public lashing at the hands of the Boss Jr. — Mussina has allowed only two earned runs in each game. He bested two solid teams in the Indians and the White Sox, and displayed an altered approach that utilized his arsenal of breaking pitches, keeping hitters off balance enough to make his sluggish fast ball once again effective. These quality starts are a step in the right direction for Mussina, but his poor outings against division rivals raise questions about his ability to manage the lineups of the top tier teams in the league.

Perhaps the most telling stat concerning these veteran pitchers: Mussina has reached the 7th inning only once in his six starts this season. Pettitte's standing is not much better, venturing into the 7th inning only twice in his six starts. With Hughes and Kennedy regularly getting knocked out of ball games early, the work load on the bullpen is far too much to bear over the course of the season. This lack of longevity by the Yankees staff threatens to neutralize the one current positive for the team — their above average bullpen.

With each dominating start that Santana reels off in Queens, the anticipation of a reactionary Steinbrenner-esque move lingers over old Yankees Stadium, as it churns towards its eminent demise. How long will Hank remain dormant before he emulates his dad and sells off the farm system for a big name hurler? Is this possibly the only way to save the Yankees season? These are questions that will be answered soon, especially if the numbers in the loss column continue to rise.