Joba impresses Joe

CLEVELAND -- Yankees manager Joe Torre spent Friday night's game in a luxury suite serving his one-game suspension for Tuesday's brouhaha in Toronto. Before his team met the Indians Saturday, Torre said he was impressed as everyone else in Jacobs Field was with 21-year-old reliever Joba Chamberlain (left). Pitching the seventh and eighth innings Friday, Chamberlain retired all six men he faced and struck out four.

"It looked pretty good from up there. I'm sure from down here it looked even better," Torre said. "Good slider, fastball, great bite on his pitches. It was very impressive."

No matter how tempted Torre might be, he said he will not use Chamberlain on back-to-back days in relief at any point this season. The Yankees consider Chamberlain one of the building blocks of their starting rotation in 2008.

Chamberlain's stats in 18 minor-league outings this year: 9-2, 2.42 ERA, 89 1/3 IP, 24 ER, 27 BB, 135 K. His stats in two outings for New York: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K.

"Down the road, he's going to be a starter and we certainly want to keep him as safe as we can possibly can," Torre said. "We have a plan and knowing it going in, we don't surprise anybody."

Torre, by the way, spent the time in the suite with former NBA coach Mike Fratello and said Fratello's phone was ringing off the hook during the game.

"Pat Riley called, [Tommy] Lasorda called. All kinds of calls -- and all were for Fratello," Torre said. "No one called for me. I guess they were worried I was managing the game or something."

---Mike Harrington

(Photo: Associated Press)