As usual, Vazquez struggles going from NL to AL

Searching for the reason for Javier Vazquez's 9.78 ERA is about as frustrating as trying to beat Long Island rush-hour traffic. Everyone has an opinion, yet no option is ever definitively better than the rest.

The Vazquez debate has focused on everything from mechanical flaws to mental fortitude to haunting memories of postseasons past. But what cannot be understated is that the trade from Atlanta took Vazquez out of the pitcher-friendly National League and into the offense-heavy American League.

Although that alone cannot explain all of Vazquez's problems this season, three pitchers in his own clubhouse who have made the jump say it's a significant change.

"The National League is easier to pitch in," said Andy Pettitte, who was with the Astros from 2004-06. "If anyone says it's not, I don't think they're telling the truth."

Pettitte's ERA with Houston was 3.38; entering this season, his ERA as a Yankee was 4.02.

CC Sabathia enjoyed a highly successful three months with the Brewers in 2008, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA. "I just think pitching in the AL East is tough simply because of the lineups you have to face,'' Sabathia said. "Facing that pitcher and that 7-8-9 in certain NL lineups, it definitely gives you a break."

"Every team can hit," said A.J. Burnett, who jumped from the Marlins to the Blue Jays before the 2006 season. "You can't take that for granted."

Making the jump from the NL to the AL is nothing new to Vazquez, 33. He already had done it twice before, and both times his numbers were worse than they were the previous year. Vazquez's ERA went from 3.24 with the Expos in 2003 to 4.91 with the Yankees in 2004, then from 4.42 with the Diamondbacks in 2005 to 4.84 with the White Sox in 2006.

Last year he was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA for the Braves, and before this season, his ERA in the NL was 4.02, half a run worse than his AL ERA.

That's one reason why former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has questioned whether Vazquez is good enough to succeed in the American League. Schilling gave him a backhanded compliment, calling Vazquez "a phenomenal National League pitcher." Ouch.

Vazquez dismissed Schilling's comments, saying he's had success in the American League before. (He believes he's simply not executing his pitches, and nothing more.) But if there was any question in his mind that the league switch is an issue, he has three guys in his own clubhouse to look to for guidance.

"This division is tough," Pettitte said. "Not only do you need to have your stuff together physically and mechanically, but to go through those lineups three or four times, as you do as a starting pitcher, mentally you need to be on top of your game. It's very important mentally to be on top of your game."

Burnett has had a 3.73 ERA in the National League and a 3.97 ERA in the AL. He doesn't like to think about how much harder it is to pitch in the AL, even though the overall statistics back it up.

By replacing the pitcher with the designated hitter, lineups are deeper, produce more baserunners and have more pop. For example, the AL had a higher OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) in all but one season since it added the designated hitter in 1973. (In 1976. each league had a .681 OPS.)

Mention this to Burnett and he shakes his head, giving you the impression he's one step away from covering his ears and making sounds to drown out your voice. Bottom line: He doesn't want to hear anything that he's going to have to ponder on the mound. "The more I think," he said, "the worse off I am."

Overthinking, Burnett said, got him into trouble when he changed leagues in 2006.

"When you're new somewhere and you've got a lot of hype, you can overdo it and step outside yourself," he said. "You want everybody to know your deal was the right deal and you're not a fluke, and you can overdo it."

One of the reasons the Yankees were comfortable signing Burnett to an $82.5-million contract before last season is that he was battle-tested, having spent the previous two seasons in the AL East.

If anything, Vazquez has been fortunate that only one of his five starts has come against an AL East rival, the Rays. Of course, the Yankees helped in that area by choosing not to pitch him in Boston this past weekend. But odds are he's going to face the Rays and Red Sox in almost 25 percent of his starts.

Last season, Burnett made nine of his 33 starts against the Red Sox and Rays, teams that had relentless lineups. Eight of Sabathia's 34 starts and eight of Pettitte's 32 starts came against those teams.

"I know we use the word 'grind' a lot around here, but that's what it is," Pettitte said. "You figure out that it's going to be a battle. For me, I know that's what it's going to be because I don't throw 94, 96 miles per hour. So I just know guys are going to get hits and I'm going to have to make pitches.

"I guess you try to embrace it a little more than fight it."