NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon, for the first time in a long time, feels
refreshed.
A reprieve from outfield duties was seemingly all the 13-year veteran
needed to recharge his batteries, and his shiny new designated hitter
role has since ignited his most productive stretch of the season --
one that's seen him hit .345 over the past six games.

"I'm one of those guys who actually always loved DH-ing," Damon said
of a position normally reserved for those with defensive liabilities.
"I'll do whatever I need to try and help this team be a better team,
and right now, me DH-ing seems to be helping us out."

And the repercussions of it -- all made possible when Jason Giambi hit
the disabled list last month with a partial tear in his foot -- have
been even better. Not only has Damon's defensive hiatus toughened his
crumbling legs, it's given 22-year-old Melky Cabrera another chance to
prove that he'll be the man in center once Damon's deal expires after
2009.

Not that Damon sightings in the field are about to become exclusively
the stuff of history. With the Yankees closing out Interleague Play
next week in National League parks, manager Joe Torre has plans to use
Damon either to spell corner outfielders Bobby Abreu and Hideki
Matsui, or to nudge his way into the platoon at first.

But until then, Damon's time in the dugout -- or the clubhouse, or the
weight room, or wherever else he chooses to wander between at-bats --
has given him the chance not only to rest his bothersome legs but to
focus on being the offensive spark that the Yankees thought they had
signed before last season.

"It's the perfect job," Damon said. "Right now, the legs feel good,
and hopefully, I can hit and hit more, so I can wear my legs out a lot
more than they are now."

Not yet Clipped: Torre has noted in the past that he has no qualms
about skipping fifth starter Tyler Clippard if the opportunity arises.
But with Clippard's last start coming before, and not after, New
York's lone off-day this week, that strategy remains -- for now --
impossible.

Instead, Clippard will start on Saturday against the Mets, a far more
potent offense than the Pittsburgh crew that battered him for six runs
last Sunday.

With Kei Igawa dominating Triple-A batters -- he's allowed just three
runs in his past 14 innings, with 17 strikeouts against four walks --
the Yankees could easily tap into the man they had originally penciled
into that fifth slot this spring. But Torre, despite Clippard's
struggles, remains enamored with the rookie -- for now.

"They'll tell us when," Torre said of Igawa's readiness. "He's still
working on perfecting all his pitches."

Guilt by association: Yankee fans of the current generation can't help
but cringe when the D-backs come to town, memories of 2001's World
Series loss still fresh in their minds. Twice since then, New York has
played Arizona in the regular season, and twice they've taken the
isolated series, two games to one. Not that it's any solace.



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"The fact of the matter is, it was quite an emotional series in 2001,"
Torre said. "We had the lead going into the ninth inning of Game 7. It
couldn't be any more dramatic than it was."

The Yankees haven't, however, seen the D-backs since 2004, which may
be farther in the past than it seems. That Arizona roster included
such names as Carlos Baerga and Roberto Alomar, with just a handful of
players -- Randy Johnson among them -- remaining from the 2001
championship club. And now, three years later, again only a handful of
names remain, including Tuesday's starter, Brandon Webb.

Clawing back: Thanks to Johnson's brilliant six innings against the
Red Sox on Sunday night, the Yankees enter play on Tuesday just 9 1/2
games back in the standings -- the first time they've been within
single digits since May 24.

At that time, they were 21-24, fresh off a series win over Boston, and
completely unaware that they were about to plunge into the five-game
losing streak that would bring growing skepticism to a roar. Since
that streak, they've gone 9-2 to climb back to 30-31 overall, with a
chance on Tuesday to tip the scales even for the first time since May
9.

"Guys are happy," Damon said. "We know what we need to do, cutting a
little deficit between us and the Red Sox. That's a positive thing."

Bomber bits: First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz underwent surgery on
Tuesday to insert a pin into his broken right wrist. Updates on his
status were not immediately available. ... Torre plans to give catcher
Jorge Posada another day off on Wednesday, going out of his way to
keep starter Mike Mussina paired with backup Wil Nieves. Nieves has
caught Mussina's past three starts. ... Alex Rodriguez will likely DH
in Thursday's series finale with Arizona. ... Matsui celebrated his
33rd birthday on Tuesday.

Coming up: A pair of veteran right-handers square off on Wednesday, as
the Yankees continue their three-game set with the D-backs. Mussina
will start opposite Livan Hernandez, with first pitch scheduled for
7:05 p.m. ET.


Anthony DiComo is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was
not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.