"The makeup of the starting rotation for the playoffs is going to be the story of September, the intrigue building as the Yankees essentially play for seeding purposes this final month, while still auditioning six starters.

And yet whatever that rotation turns out to be - A.J. Burnett didn't really move the needle one way or the other Wednesday - the story of October could well turn out to be the Yankee bullpen.

Especially if the Yankees meet the Red Sox in the ALCS; how often have we seen their marathons be decided in the late innings by the pen?

So it matters that the Yankees have a 2.99 bullpen ERA, the best in the American League, and it matters that Rafael Soriano has proven to be dependable since coming off the disabled list five weeks ago.

And, of course, it matters that Mariano Rivera continues to pile up the saves as he closes in on 600.

Above all, however, you couldn't help but notice that in an otherwise rainy, sloppy, forgettable 5-4 loss in 11 innings to the Orioles Wednesday, the one shining moment was a spectacular top of the eighth inning in which David Robertson struck out the side on 13 pitches."