I miss posting here regularly ... I no longer have a television in the same room as my computer, so I can't watch games and post at the same time.

After FOX pointed out that the Yankees are something like 35-1 when leading after the 6th inning, it made me wonder if the evidence of our bullpen's much-heralded suckitude is more circumstantial than real. So I went on baseball-reference.com and crunched some numbers. 

Our bullpen's combined ERA is 2.62 when the starting pitcher makes a quality start (for those not familiar, that's 3 ER or fewer in at least 6 IP). It is 4.40 after a nonquality start. Now I realize a) that this is largely a function of the fact that better relievers are used in more important situations; and b) ERA is not the most useful statistic for relief pitchers. But it nonetheless suggests to me that, taken as a whole, our bullpen's biggest flaw is that when the starting pitcher has a bad day, they often let the game get even more out of control. The anecdotal evidence, such as the atrocity that was Game 1 of the Yanks-Mets doubleheader, suggests the same.

But when it comes to the far more important task of holding leads, our bullpen seems to be doing just fine — even without Joba. (I divided the games up by quality start as opposed to by whether the starter left with a lead simply because it was easier.) 

The statistic I collected as a byproduct of this number crunching is the real reason the Yankees aren't where we'd like them to be halfway through the season: In 81 games, our rotation has only given us 40 quality starts. (Granted, this includes a couple of anomalies like that game Bruney started and the ones in which Joba was on a pitch count.) This all suggests to me that the Yankees would have been crazy NOT to move Joba into the rotation when they did, and that those who suggest otherwise are not thinking straight. 

Let us hope that the second half of the season brings us more consistency from our starting pitchers. The offense looks to be in great shape after a slow start, and the bullpen is plenty good enough. I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on the best way to upgrade the starting-pitching situation in the extended absence of Chien-Ming Wang. What, realistically, would we have to give up for Sabathia? Better yet, what realistic trade options exist beyond Carsten Charles? Should we try and plug the holes internally and hope for the best? I don't have a strong opinion on the matter.