No need to panic, Yanks in good shape

You found a predictably quiet Indians clubhouse late Sunday afternoon, as they suffered a third straight defeat at the hands of the Yankees. This one a 9-1 pummeling at Yankee Stadium, featuring inept offense, incompetent defense and inadequate pitching. "We just have to find a way," Indians manager Manny Acta said, wearing his upbeat sad face.

Then you looked at the standings, and you reminded yourself: The Indians are, still for now, a first-place team, ahead of Detroit by percentage points in the American League Central.

Looks like the Yankees picked the right year to be underwhelming, by their standards.

"I'm most impressed by them, of all the teams that I have seen, I think," said Acta, whose Indians have a 4-2 record against the Red Sox. "They have both sides of the field covered, the offense, the defense, and the pitching so far looks like the difference.

"It is a very good ballclub. Loaded with experienced guys, a few Hall of Famers, and guys that know what to do."

Based on interactions with folks in person, through e-mails, on my Newsday blog and on Twitter, I sense an unusually high quotient of panic among Yankees fans. I get it. This Yankees team doesn't feel as formidable as its many predecessors.

At a time like this, however, I feel compelled to borrow an adage from baseball commissioner Bud Selig, one that his pal Fred Wilpon often swipes: "Nothing is ever good or bad, except by comparison."

At 36-27, the Yankees own the second-best record in the American League, behind only the Red Sox (39-26).

With 330 runs scored, the Yankees rank second in the AL, behind Boston (350). Their team ERA of 3.63 places them fourth in the AL.

Parity is among us, people, stronger than ever. The Yankees may have a weak leadoff hitter in milestone chaser Derek Jeter and an underachieving rightfielder in Nick Swisher, but with run-scoring down everywhere, they stand out as offensive powers.

That's why, on the flip side, an unimposing yet savvy veteran such as Freddy Garcia can navigate his way through 62/3 innings against a playoff team's lineup. And why the Yankees might be able to get through their bullpen crisis without making a major trade, if someone such as rookie Kevin Whelan -- who pitched a scoreless ninth inning Sunday -- can contribute.

Now, if you want to question whether the Yankees are getting the most out of their $202-million payroll, by all means do so. Rafael Soriano ($10 million), Damaso Marte ($4 million) and Pedro Feliciano ($3.75 million) soak up $17.75 million not to pitch, and Jorge Posada gets $13 million to serve as a DH who is just now finding his stroke. Jeter, at $15 million, looks overpaid in the first year of his new deal.

Today, though, we're simply assessing the chance this Yankees team has to reach the playoffs, because that seems to be in question. It's pretty good. And the Yankees are well-positioned, when you factor in both payroll flexibility and trade-chip inventory, to make an impact trade.

The Yankees now sit at 1-8 against the Red Sox and 35-19 against everyone else, yet we know by now that the key is simply qualifying for the playoffs. And the Yankees proved this weekend that they can shake off a Red Sox sweep.

"We never look back. We keep looking forward," Posada said. "That's what the team has been able to do."

What more can they do? We'll find out, but my sense is, more than many of their fans think.