Bull, As I just previously posted, Yankees can no longer rely upon a starting pitcher to shut down the other team when their hitters are being dominated by an opposing pitcher.
The prior Yankee Championship teams had the ability to win 1-0 games and not be dependent upon their offense to out score the other team.
Better pitching is one of the reasons why the Tigers, A's and Twins made it to the post-season. They are not the Devil Rays, Royals, etc of the regular season.
That's a big challenge for a pitcher that can not go for more than five immings.