Yankees-Mariners: Chien-Ming Wang Improves to 6-0

While the Yankee's young pitchers struggle it is important for the veteran starters to stabilize the rotation and so far Chien-Ming Wang couldn't be better.

Wang, who owns the Seattle Mariners, went out and beat them again last night to improve to 6-0 this year. In six innings he allowed just three hits and surrendered only one run for the victory.

Wang has been the most victorious pitcher in baseball since 2006 with 44 victories, but he might be even better this season than he has been in years past. The difference is he has added a few pitches to his repertoire and doesn't rely on just his sinker anymore.

“Now you have to look for the slider, maybe change, maybe split, and still have the sinker there,” said catcher Jose Molina. “Attack the zone. Don’t be afraid to throw through the middle. It doesn’t matter where he throws it, it’s going to move.”

Now even if his sinker isn't on he can stay in the game and find a way to work around it.

"The first few innings, his sinker wasn't that great, but his slider and changeup were really good today," Molina said. "From the second inning on, he picked up the sinker and had good ones going on. He got ground-ball double plays when we needed it."

He is also very well suited to pitch in Yankee Stadium because of his attitude on the mound. He has a 29-9 career record at home with a 3.13 ERA compared to 23-9 and a 4.37 ERA on the road.

“He’s so even-keeled all the time,” said manager Joe Girardi, “sometimes you want to make sure his pulse is still there.” He added, “"I think you feel really good when he takes the mound.”

Wang's performances have been so impressive this season he is already being mentioned as a Cy Young candidate and perhaps is single handedly saving the Yankees' season. As they sit just three games out of first place they are 7-0 in games he starts and he a terrible 8-16 when he isn't on the mound.

Before last night's game Hank Steinbrenner expressed his disappointment in the team, but made a point to mention Wang's terrific start.

“I’m very disappointed with the way the season has gone, period,” Steinbrenner said. ““We just can’t win one out of five games, every time Wang pitches, it’s not going to work. It’s not a good win percentage. Starting pitching is where it’s at, especially in the postseason. At this point, we’ll see if we even make the postseason.”

The way Wang is pitching if they do eventually fix what ails the starting rotation he could be the ace the Yankees have been looking for.

This article originally appeared @ Hot Stove New York.com.