"'Blip' has been the Yankee buzzword for the week and if the Yanks want their October to be anything but a blip on Major League Baseball 's postseason calendar, they'd better hope there are quick answers to the struggles of their two best pitchers.

The Rays hammered five solo home runs off CC Sabathia in the Yankees ' 5-1 loss to Tampa Bay Friday night at the Stadium, rocketing Sabathia to the top of the club's "Uh Oh" list alongside Mariano Rivera , the foundering closer.

Funny, but a few hours before the first pitch Friday night, there was Brian Cashman on the field, vehemently defending A.J. Burnett , the $82.5 million starter who, the Yankee GM believes, is being judged too harshly by critics.

Ha!

If only that were the Yankees' biggest worry. Instead, their most consistent performers are suddenly in the throes of some of their worst pitching of the season.

For all the hand-wringing over potential potholes in the Yankee pitching staff - Phil Hughes ' regression, the fragility of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia , what the heck is up with Burnett - who would have thought Rivera and Sabathia would be faltering at the same time?

Cashman's passionate, impromptu press conference was a sideshow compared to what's going on with Sabathia and Rivera, though it's worth wondering whether Cashman made his stand to act as a shield for Burnett to deflect criticism away from the pitcher.

Sabathia, who got clobbered in Boston last Saturday, continuing his troubles against the Yanks' biggest rivals, has lost consecutive starts for just the third time as a Yankee. He had never allowed more than three homers in a game until Friday night, when Casey Kotchman , Kelly Shoppach , Johnny Damon , Elliot Johnson and Evan Longoria swatted longballs off him."