Yankees" Chamberlain Is Sharp With Game on the Line BALTIMORE - When Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain returned to the mound on Aug. 1 after missing 14 months with elbow and ankle injuries, he did not feel like the cocksure pitcher he once was. He felt healthy, but his delivery was not clicking. He felt confident, but he preferred to let his teammates dictate the flow of an inning. "There were times where, not necessarily that I was second-guessing myself, but I'd been gone for so long," Chamberlain said. So I just felt like the catchers do a tremendous job for us knowing the hitters and things like that. At times, I was just like, You know what, they know it better than I do. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi was hesitant to use Chamberlain in important situations. Nine of his first 11 appearances came in losses, the other two in lopsided wins. But on Sunday, long before the Yankees stormed to a 13-3 victory over the Orioles, starting pitcher Freddy Garcia was rattled, the game was close, and Chamberlain was summoned. "Well, I'd liked the way he'd thrown the ball the last two times," Girardi said. We don't have a lot of time, so if you're going to move up the food chain, you move up pretty quickly. When Chamberlain entered the game with one out in the fourth inning, the Yankees" 5-0 lead had been trimmed to 5-3, and the Orioles" Matt Wieters was on first base with one out. Chamberlain struck out Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis to extinguish the rally. In the fifth, he retired two batters before walking Nate McLouth, who stole second. Unfazed, Chamberlain struck out J. J. Hardy swinging, then pumped his fist and roared as he returned to the dugout. "Now it's all coming together, my delivery and everything like that," Chamberlain said. I just have to keep continuing to build my confidence. Chamberlain (1-0) earned the victory after striking out four in an inning and two-thirds. He did not allow a hit, and his fastball touched 97 miles an hour. His strikeout total matched his career high in a relief appearance, set on Sept. 21, 2007, against the Toronto Blue Jays. He had five strikeouts over his first seven and two-thirds innings this season and has eight over his last four and a third. "We think Joba, in his last three outings, has really taken a step in the right direction," Girardi said. And we felt that was important, and we need him. Chamberlain said he and the pitching coach Larry Rothschild pored over film of his delivery and found that his hands were too low and moving too much. He has worked to raise his hands closer to his chest before throwing, eliminating the bounce and allowing his pitches to flow. "It's just a trigger for me," Chamberlain said. Now, I just get it and go. The Yankees are hoping the new Chamberlain will continue to look more like the old Chamberlain, the pitcher who was almost untouchable during his first two major league seasons. With the playoffs looming and a pennant race already here, Chamberlain could be a boon to the bullpen. He said he had to continue to earn Girardi's trust, continue to show he was capable of pitching when there is much at stake. "You play this game to be in tight situations," Chamberlain said. You play this game to be the best, and I understand what I have to do.