Matt Blake deserves credit for Yankees' 2 bullpen secret weapons reaching rarefied air

New York Yankees pitching guru Matt Blake will remain a lightning rod, whether he's midway through a bullpen turnaround or battling with another "unlockable" trade deadline asset who just won't click. This is the inherent contradiction in the Yankees' philosophy: Blake can work magic from time to time. Relying on Blake to work magic all the time will leave you with a few stray Jake Birds and Camilo Dovals. The more David Bednars and Mason Millers you acquire, the less Blake is under the microscope.

But ... while he's sitting under there in the petri dish ... we might as well acknowledge that while the bullpen's construction remains flawed, it's slowly forming into a unit formidable enough to match its top-tier ERA. That's thanks in large part to Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn, who hold two of the top seven ERAs among all MLB pitchers with 50+ innings this season.

You could tell in Aaron Boone's postgame press conference after Blackburn's two shutout frames helped save Wednesday night's razor-thin win. He's been asked about the veteran righty a lot more lately, and he sort of wishes that chatter would stop so he could continue hiding him.

But when you've got two largely anonymous relievers matching Shohei Ohtani and Jacob Misiorowski, and when the maligned Yankees' bullpen ERA has somehow landed in the No. 2 spot in the AL (3.06 to the Red Sox's 3.02), people are going to ask questions. And Blake, though he's never the one answering them, deserves flowers here as we press pause on the scorn.

Paul Blackburn explaining his rise builds renewed hope in Yankees' pitching lab

The Yankees' pitching lab doesn't get an "A++" this year, of course, and that lies on Brian Cashman's shoulders for dropping unsolvable problems like Bird and Doval into key roles. Bird's hanging sweepers actually miss Coors Field tremendously, where he allowed a .542 OPS last year, as opposed to 1.022 on the road (including his two disasters with the Yankees). This group could still use an infusion of variety; Yovanny Cruz's velocity is sorely missed, and while Tim Hill is a beloved role-filler, the Yankees are still carrying a redundant longman in Ryan Yarbrough when they could carry another trusted escape artist. Fernando Cruz is already wearing down because of how much tread is on the team's top trio's tires due to first-half strain.

But for those blaming Blake and questioning the reality they're sold about the Yankees' transformational processes, Blackburn's interview after Wednesday's win should clear up the intentionality of his arrival (and re-signing).

The second the 90 MPH-slinging Blackburn arrived in New York last summer, the team told him exactly what they planned to execute. That's why he came back for more time this season. Why not, right? If it felt like it was working, let's finish the job. It's now extremely clear that was valid on both sides.

There was a similarly defined plan this offseason for Headrick's workload to increase and for him to sustain his gains, per bullpen coach Preston Claiborne's recent interview.

As for who's next? Will Warren being used on a throw day with a two-run lead over Camilo Doval on Wednesday likely ensures Doval's high-leverage Yankees career is over and his spot is up for grabs.

Internally, Angel Chivilli has done more than enough lately to prove he's got the stuff and swagger to potentially be fifth in line for the throne, as Blackburn cements himself as No. 4 and Headrick as No. 2. The Yankees, slowly but surely, have built a 4.5-headed monster out of pure guts, and the trade deadline might turn this developing "strength" into something unassailable with a little more velocity and swing-and-miss.

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