MLB

Scores   Schedules   Standings   Statistics   Transactions   Injuries: AL | NL   Players   Weekly Lineup   Message Board   Minor Leagues   MLB Stat Search Clubhouses

Teams Anaheim Arizona Atlanta Baltimore Boston Chicago Sox Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Cleveland Colorado Detroit Florida Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Milwaukee Minnesota Montreal NY Yankees NY Mets Oakland Philadelphia Pittsburgh San Diego San Francisco Seattle St. Louis Tampa Bay Texas Toronto

Sport Sections

	Thursday, July 20
	Midseason report: New York Yankees By Marty Bernoski ESPN.com
	Amid all the trade rumors for hired guns like Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez and the debris of a crumbling starting pitching staff, the New York Yankees are still capable of emerging from the pack to take the American League East. Not bad for a team that appeared to be pushing the panic button way too early. Let's take a look the highlights and lowlights of the Yankees' first half. First-half MVP:Bernie Williams is the clear-cut winner. Through 79 games, he leads the team in average (.333), home runs (19), runs (64), RBI (79) and slugging pct. (.610). After hitting .292 in April and .283 in May, Williams broke loose in June, hitting .386 with seven homers and 33 RBI. Williams established season-highs with four hits and seven RBI against the White Sox on June 17 and homered from both sides of the plate April 23 at Toronto. Williams, who made only five errors last season, has been flawless in the field through 75 games and has two assists. Biggest disappointment: One year ago David Cone went 12-9 with a 3.44 ERA. He became the 15th player in history to throw a perfect game in the regular season on July 18 against the Expos. What's happened to Coney since? After 16 starts in 2000, Cone is a dreadful 1-7 with a 6.40 ERA and has given up 17 long balls. He surrendered a career-high four homers in his fifth consecutive loss on July 4 and has not won in his last 11 starts since beating Toronto on April 28. The only pitcher struggling more has been the Astros' Jose Lima. Cone is headed for 10-plus losses for the first time since 1993, when he went 11-14 for Kansas City. Biggest surprise: Coming into this season Jorge Posada had a .252 career average in 292 games. He showed some power but had not been considered a threat to hit .300. Through 79 games this season, Posada ranks among the team leaders in average (.313), homers (14) and slugging pct. (549). He leads the team in walks (58), on-base percentage (.452) and his 47 runs are third-best on the squad. Posada has made 68 starts behind the plate (587 1/3 innings rank third in AL), allowing eight passed balls and four errors for a fielding pct. of .992. Second-half goals:The Yankees must maintain a healthy group of starters. With Cone still struggling, manager Joe Torre can't afford having starters Roger Clemens (groin), and Orlando Hernandez (elbow) on the disabled list again. Ramiro Mendoza offers versatility as a starter or reliever, but he is still on the DL with a shoulder problem. Jason Grimsley can only be called upon so often to make a spot start and the Jake Westbrook-Ed Yarnall-Ben Ford experiment failed miserably. Doc Gooden's comeback isn't likely to generate many wins -- despite Saturday's performance at Shea. The wins must come from Andy Pettitte, El Duque and The Rocket. Grade: -- Expectations are high for the defending champs, so the grade is low. Solid starting pitching could put the Yankees back on top in the second half. (Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best) We told you what we thought of the Yankees' first-half performance, now you've told us. Here is what you had to say about what the Yankees have to do in the second half.		ALSO SEE Midseason Feedback: Yankees MLB midseason reports ESPN.com's All-Star Game coverage Kurkjian: Stories of the first half Ten second-half questions for the AL Ten second-half questions for the NL