Yanks' bullpen doing shutdown work in August

NEW YORK -- With some members of their starting rotation struggling in August, the Yankees have needed their bullpen to be extra stout late in games. And it has.

The Yankees' bullpen entered Saturday with a Major League-best 1.05 ERA since Aug. 16, allowing just five runs over 42 2/3 innings while compiling a 3-0 record and five saves.

For the season, the bullpen's 3.19 ERA ranked seventh in the Majors.

"We rely on our bullpen a lot. We try to move the ball around. We've had a lot of guys who have continued to have good years down there," manager Joe Girardi said. "You can start with [Mariano Rivera] then just kind of work your way back. We've gotten contributions from a lot of different guys."

Relievers Joba Chamberlain, David Huff, David Robertson and Adam Warren all have ERAs under 2.50 in the month of August, and Huff's (0.00) and Robertson's (0.71) ERAs this month are both less than 1.00.

In fact, the member of the bullpen with the worst ERA in August is closer Rivera, but he still has five saves despite a 4.22 ERA.

"They've been very good," Girardi said. "Very important to our success."