Chien-Ming Wang finally looked like Chien-Ming Wang Tuesday night, against a team that might well become the Yankees' primary roadblock to a wild-card berth in October.

His pitch count was minuscule. The usually patient Oakland batters swung early and grounded out often. Double plays returned to the menu in great numbers, along with Wang's searing sinker. The Yanks nipped the A's, 3-1, moving a game closer to the Red Sox, Rays and any number of teams that may sabotage Joe Girardi's rookie managerial season in the Bronx.

But by now, we are suspicious of such apparent recoveries and strides. We have learned that these Yankees are fickle performers, often following happy victories with deflating defeats. They haven't given us much of a hint about where this season is going, except that it has gone nowhere thus far.

They are not quite yet in desperate straits, like the Mets. They are treading water, but with a history of post-All Star surges. We know only one thing for sure. Nobody is talking about the Yankees as a championship team anymore - not this year, anyway - and that means the arrow continues to point in the wrong direction for this franchise.

Full Article from the New York Daily News HERE: