Relax, Vazquez will work his way back

There was no hiding Javier Vazquez's disappointment in his manager's decision to skip the pitcher's next start. You saw the evidence in his sad eyes and you heard it in his soft voice as Vazquez addressed this issue for the time by his locker Tuesday afternoon.

But Vazquez chose not to focus on his emotions. Yes, he would have preferred to make his scheduled start Friday in Boston, but he didn't seem too interested in arguing on his own behalf. Not privately, and not publicly.

"I'm in no position to say anything at all," Vazquez said. "Whatever they feel is the best for the team, that's the way I'm going to go."

We can forgive those of you who read this and respond by wanting to take the talented pitcher by the shoulders, shake him a bit and tell him to fight. Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox's outspoken manager, certainly seemed to come close to doing that at times back when Vazquez pitched for him.

But it's now when Yankees fans need to keep their emotions in check and focus on perspective. Yes, Vazquez's first five starts fall under the category of "worst-case scenario.'' All you need to do is look at his 9.78 ERA and the opponents' .337 batting average to acknowledge the obvious.

Yet at the same time, it's important to note that the Yankees' top four starters have performed incredibly well. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes have a combined 14-1 record with a 2.15 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while logging 63 percent of the Yankees' total innings.

Will these four guys be able to continue on this eye-popping statistical run? History says the odds are astronomically low. Just like history suggests there's very little chance Vazquez will continue to be this bad. And that's precisely the point here.

Vazquez has a track record of being good enough to log 12 wins and 219 innings, year after year. So, as troublesome as his first five starts have been this season, there's still no reason to believe he won't revert to form. It's just going to take time to dig out of this start, something even Vazquez realizes.

"I wish I can go out there next time out and throw a shutout," he said. "That would be great. But at the same time, I'm working on things and it's a process."

It's certainly not reassuring that Vazquez's fastball has been sitting at 89 mph, about 2 mph less than it averaged last April and May, according to a statistic tool that keeps track of pitch speed. The Yankees point to mechanical flaws in his delivery, believing they are making his pitches slower, flatter and far more hittable (hence the eight home runs he's allowed in only 23 innings).

So after Vazquez finished speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, he retreated to the bullpen for an extended work session with pitching coach Dave Eiland. With his next start pushed back until Monday night in Detroit, Vazquez will work again with Eiland in the bullpen Friday in Boston.

The Yankees think his break might also be good mentally. Joe Girardi said he understood the criticism Vazquez has been receiving from Yankees fans, which have been coming in all forms. On a popular Yankees message board Tuesday, Vazquez's plight was the most popular topic of conversation.

It doesn't seem right given how well the Yankees are doing, but it's the way things are here in New York.

Just know that Vazquez trusts his track record. "In my career," he said, "I've always battled my way back." The statistics back him up, and Yankees fans should do the same.