"For the most part, baseball relies on speed guns too much.

It's better to judge hitters' swings than to be seduced by readings that reach the mid-90s.

The gun, however, was a useful tool yesterday in gauging how Joba Chamberlain threw in his first outing since suffering a left oblique muscle strain.

"He threw 95 (mph); that makes me feel pretty good," manager Joe Girardi said after the right-hander gave up one run, one hit (homer) and fanned two in one inning of a 6-2 loss to the Orioles.

Chamberlain, who hadn't worked since March 11 because of the strain in his rib cage, was satisfied with his return and the way he has pitched this spring.

"It wasn't anything to worry about," Chamberlain said of the injury. "The last couple of days I haven't thought about it. Once I warmed up, I knew I would be OK."

Four years ago Chamberlain appeared to be Mariano Rivera's eventual replacement. Today? Rafael Soriano is in the first season of a three-year deal to work the eighth and David Robertson has steadily proven himself to be reliable in the sixth or seventh. Add in lefties Boone Logan and Pedro Feliciano and there isn't much left for Chamberlain."