Joba locks up familiar Yankees setup role

OAKLAND, Calif. - Joba Chamberlain did exactly what the Yankees hoped he would after not winning the fifth starter's job.

He secured the role of primary setup man for closer Mariano Rivera, a not surprising announcement manager Joe Girardi made before last night's game.

"I think you could say that," Girardi said. "That's where we've been using him. Last night we brought him in with two outs in the seventh but I still consider that an eighth-inning kind of thing. I think you can say that [it's his role]."

After Girardi tabbed Phil Hughes as his fifth starter toward the end of spring training, he made a point of saying Chamberlain would have to earn his bullpen role. The assumption was that Chamberlain automatically would reassume the role that made him a phenomena in 2007.

"That's the first thing that came into my mind," Chamberlain said. "Knowing I had been in that situation before but also knowing I still had a lot to prove, knowing that it wasn't just going to be handed to me. We had a lot of guys throwing the ball well, to understand that I had to go back out there and prove myself again in that role."

Chamberlain, who has allowed just one run in six appearances since giving up a run in the season opener in Boston, has done that to Girardi's satisfaction. He all but locked up the role in Tuesday night's 7-3 victory, relieving Boone Logan with two outs in the seventh and the bases loaded.

Chamberlain struck out A's cleanup hitter Kevin Kouzmanoff, who swung at an 89-mph slider to end the inning.

"To have that confidence in me to put me in that position is a good feeling," Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain then struck out Kurt Suzuki, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth, looking at a 96-mph fastball to start a 1-2-3 eighth and got Eric Chavez swinging at a 94-mph fastball for the second out.

"I think he's done what most of us expected him to do," Girardi said. "I think he's enjoying himself and what he's doing. I've liked the way he's went about his business."

Which mostly means pitching aggressively, something Chamberlain did inconsistently as a starter. Girardi also wanted to see how Chamberlain's body would react to the different routine of a reliever after preparing all spring as a starter.

"You have to see how guys respond going back-to-back," Girardi said. "You don't want to crown somebody before it's time."

For Chamberlain, Girardi not crowning him out of spring training served as motivation.

"Joe does a tremendous job of challenging every one of his players," Chamberlain said. "I think that's an ability of a great manager that you can't teach and he does a fantastic job of that. Just to know that I had the opportunity to continue to be able to do that was something I looked forward to."

Chamberlain entered camp saying his goal was to start and, of course, he was asked last night if he saw the eighth-inning role as something for which he was best suited.

"It's my natural habitat right now," Chamberlain said. "I can't look at what it's going to be. I take it one day at a time."