Vazquez gets a relief stint as most of usual suspects get a rest

As the Yankees chug toward a playoff berth, manager Joe Girardi is playing an interesting game with the middle part of his bullpen.

On Monday night in this supposed "first-place showdown series" with the Tampa Bay Rays, Girardi called on Chad Gaudin to protect a one-run lead in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Gaudin walked in the tying run, but the Yankees won the game, anyway.

In last night's 8-3 win over the Rays, Javier Vazquez was the first reliever Girardi used. Banished to the bullpen because of ineffectiveness as a starter, Vazquez hadn't pitched except in his imagination since Sept. 10.

Girardi brought Vazquez in with the Yankees holding a 5-2 lead with a man on second base and one out in the seventh inning. Kind of an important moment for a guy who hasn't pitched in relief since Aug. 30.

"I wish I would have pitched before, but I understand the situation," Vazquez said. "Obviously, as a competitor, you're disappointed. You can't hide that fact. But I was glad they used me today in this way."

Vazquez retired the first man he faced, Ben Zobrist, on a first-pitch fly ball to left. Carl Crawford hit an RBI bloop single to left to make it 5-3.

With the tying run at the plate in 21-home run man Evan Longoria, Girardi left in Vazquez, who retired the Rays third baseman on a grounder to short.

When the Yankees expanded their lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the seventh, that allowed Girardi to leave Vazquez in and continue to rest his top relievers - for three more batters before he summoned Joba Chamberlain with two on and one out in the eighth.

Chamberlain allowed a single before getting out of the inning. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save of the season.

"Javy came in and did a good job to get out of that inning," Girardi said. "Got us some outs. I thought he threw the ball well considering he hasn't thrown in a while. I liked what I saw out of Javy and I liked what I saw out of Joba."

On both occasions - bringing in Gaudin and Vazquez - Girardi chose to temporarily bypass his most trusted bullpen men.

Girardi believes in not overusing his relievers. Of course, the cushion of the wild card allows Girardi this luxury.

It will not be so in the postseason.

In the playoffs, the Yankees will count on righties Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood, Chamberlain and David Robertson and lefthander Boone Logan.

All of those pitchers (with the exception of Chamberlain) appeared in Monday's game; all five faced at least one batter in Sunday's series finale in Baltimore.

So, enter Vazquez. And enter intrigue.

"I know he knows I'm out there," Vazquez said. "We're playing some important games. I know he's trying to get first place and he's been using the main guys first. I guess that's the way it is. That's all right. That's part of the game. Hopefully, I can prove him wrong and [he'll] start using me."