By JOHN DELCOS
The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

OAKLAND, Calif. - Do you remember last week at this time? The New York Yankees had been swept out of Yankee Stadium by the Boston Red Sox - and had lost six of seven overall - Derek Jeter was wondering if he'd ever get a hit, and the offense was struggling to get out of first gear.

It's all a memory now, just as manager Joe Torre said it would be, erased with a week of solid pitching.

That's the way it always seems to be for the Yankees.

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (13) celebrates the defeat of the Oakland Athletics with teammate Derek Jeter Tuesday. It was New York's seventh straight win and left them tied for first in the AL East with slumping Boston. (AP photo)

"Pitching to me is always the key," said Torre. "And the fact that we've pitched well, you don't need that many runs. So that takes a little more pressure off the offense, which allows you to score, like we did (Sunday against Kansas City).

"I think the pitching really makes everything else look better, feel better, and we don't have to do that much on offense."

Against the Royals, whom the Yankees beat for their sixth straight victory to lead into a six-game road trip to play the Oakland Athletics and Seattle, Mike Mussina picked up the offense.

The Yankees entered the season with four legitimate concerns in their rotation - Kevin Brown's age and injury history; Javier Vazquez adapting to New York; Joe Lieber's health, and Jose Contreras' inexperience on the major league level.

The only given was Mussina, but he lost four of his first five starts, before Sunday's positive step against the Royals.

It was the third of three significant steps by the rotation during the winning streak.

The others were Lieber's strong outing Saturday against Kansas City, which the Yankees hope will solidify their fifth spot, and Contreras beating the Athletics last Wednesday.

"My question right from the start in spring training was our pitching, if it was going to be deep enough," Torre said. "Right now, we've got all five of them back. But you're still not deep when you're playing this many ballgames.

"Something is going to happen along the way. Hopefully what was going to happen to us has happened already."

Conventional wisdom entering the season had the Yankees' power-laden offense softening the questions surrounding the rotation.

It didn't turn out that way.

The Yankees closed April hot, but they wallowed for much of the month, with their offense struggling with up to five starters at any time hitting below .200 - it's still not where they want it to be - and the rotation unable to pick them up.

Mussina couldn't find his fastball; Contreras couldn't find his fastball or his confidence; the news was encouraging for Lieber, but it was in Florida.

Mussina gave up two runs in seven innings Sunday; Lieber gave up three runs in seven innings Saturday; and Contreras went into Tuesday night's start coming off a strong one-run-in-six innings game last Wednesday against Oakland.

"Our pitching looks a lot better than it did last week," pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said. "Hopefully, it's something we'll be able to build on."

Consistency is doing it again and again. The Yankees don't have doubts Mussina will right himself; they are hopeful for Lieber, who is a proven major leaguer when healthy.

Contreras is an enigma and he gets the first chance to do it again.

"That's why I think this time is probably important for Contreras to sort of get it together and feel good about himself," said Torre.

In his last start, the pitching plan was for catcher Jorge Posada to call the game and for Contreras to follow the lead.

"It worked the last time," Stottlemyre said. "There's no sense in changing it."