Bodog Beat

The New York Yankees' Joba Chamberlain has been generating buzz. (AP Images)

Perhaps it's an arrogance of sorts for the highest-paid team in Major League Baseball. Or, maybe it's just one of those statistical anomalies. Whatever it is, the New York Yankees have made quite the habit of digging a hole for themselves early in the season, only to climb out of it in time to make the playoffs.

In 2005, the Yankees went into the All-Star break at 46-40, third in the AL East. They finished 95-67, division champs.

Two years later, New York put up an even worse 42-43 in the first half and proceeded to win 52 of its next 77 games, qualifying for the playoffs for the 13th straight season, this time by way of the wild card.

And it might be the same old story in 2008. On July 13, the Yanks were beaten 4-1 in Toronto and headed into the break at 50-45, six games back of the BoSox for the division lead. They also sat behind Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Oakland in the wild-card race.

The second half has gone slightly better. Before losing to the Red Sox on Sunday night, the Yankees won eight straight games, putting themselves right back in the race for both the division and wild card. Over those eight games, New York outscored its opposition by a whopping 34 runs (49-15).

On the pitching front, 22-year-old Joba Chamberlain has been earning the most buzz. On Friday, he threw the finest game of his young career, at Fenway versus Josh Beckett no less. Over seven innings, the hefty righty shut out the Red Sox (who had David Ortiz back in the lineup for the first time since May 31), making way for the New York bullpen to safeguard a 1-0 Yankee win.

"I was the second-best pitcher today," Beckett said despite his own strong performance, "and ultimately that gets you a loss most of the time."

Chamberlain is next scheduled to start Wednesday's afternoon affair at Yankee Stadium versus the Orioles.

Read all of "Place Your Bets: Second-Half Surge" in Bodog Nation today!