INSIDE THE AL: YANKEES' PITCHING A MYSTERY.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

OAKLAND - The dark cloud hovering around the New York Yankees all season still hasn't gone away. Just days away from their AL division series opener, George Steinbrenner's $190 million ballclub still has no idea what to expect from its starting pitchers.

After the struggles of newcomer Javier Vazquez and holdover Mike Mussina, and the untimely wall-punching from Kevin Brown last month, the Yankees thought they'd found some certainty in the form of Orlando Hernadez, their stalwart from World Series champions past.

But El Duque came out of Friday's 7-0 loss at Toronto after just three innings and isn't sure what to expect from himself come playoff time.

He says his arm is tired and weak.

``I'll try again, but if I don't feel good, I don't feel good,'' Hernandez said. ``It's the same thing I felt several days ago when I said I couldn't pitch.

``I just felt for a long time that my arm needs a little rest.''

But now is not the time for rest, creating a serious headache for manager Joe Torre. Mussina will start the playoff opener, and Jon Lieber will pitch Game 2. Hernandez is penciled in for Game 3 and Vazquez Game 4.

But Brown cold be the wild card. Saturday, he pitched five innings, giving up just one hit and an unearned run, providing a glimmer of hope for a club that could use a bona-fide ace in October.

He got just two outs in his first post-wall punching outing against Boston.

``It was like night and day,'' Brown said. ``My body felt a lot better and I found a way to get looser.''

Brown started 9-1, but went 1-4 with a 6.19 ERA since. The Yankees must decide if Brown will be viable enough to burn a postseason roster spot for him.

``Whatever they want to do, I can't control,'' Brown said Saturday. ``All I can do is just battle and get my body in good condition.''

--Red Sox wanted A's: Who besides the Oakland Athletics were crestfallen to see the Angels polish off their AL West title on Saturday?

The Boston Red Sox, naturally.

They dominated the A's this season, winning eight times in nine games and prompting one player to laugh when asked his preference of opponent.

``Are you kidding?'' one unnamed Red Sox told the Boston Globe this week when asked his preferred playoff opponent. ``Oakland. Any time you go 8-1 against a team, you have to feel like you have an advantage.''

They might have had a shot at the A's were it not for the struggles of Mark Mulder. His two-inning pratfall Friday against the Angels capped a grim season's end in which he went 0-4 with an 8.79 ERA in his last six starts.

Gabe Lacques, [phone]

gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

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- Matt McHale