New York Yankees reliever Alfredo Aceves an 'Ace' in any inning by Marc Carig/The Star-Ledger Sunday May 31, 2009, 6:00 AM CLEVELAND -- Alfredo Aceves allowed the question to linger in his mind for a few seconds. And after some brief deliberation, the Yankees reliever came up with perhaps the only situation that would make him unavailable to pitch on consecutive days: Throwing a complete game. Other than that, Aceves is up for anything, which is precisely why he's quickly establishing himself as a key piece in what has become a patchwork Yankees bullpen. "It doesn't matter, I'll do whatever job they give me," Aceves said. "If I can pitch, I'll pitch, whatever situation." This season, the Yankees have gladly taken him up on that offer. Since joining the team on May 4, Aceves' versatility has allowed manager Joe Girardi to use him in a wide range of situations. So far, the man nicknamed "Ace" has been successful in all of them, posting a 3-1 record with two holds in nine relief appearances with a 2.75 ERA. "I see him as a jack-of-all trades who can help us anytime to win a ballgame, is kind of how I feel," Girardi said. "If you need three or four innings, if you need two innings, if you need one inning, I see him as a guy who can do all those things. It's a nice guy to have." For instance, when a liner off the bat of the Orioles' Adam Jones struck starter Joba Chamberlain on the leg in the first inning of his start on May 21, Girardi summoned Aceves, who pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up his third victory of the season. But Aceves, 26, has also been trusted late in games and in tight situations. In back-to-back outings earlier this month against the Twins, Aceves entered with the score tied in extra innings. Both times, he threw a scoreless inning and was the pitcher of record when the Yankees went on to walk-off victories. "I feel good, I feel comfortable, I feel strong," said Aceves, who pitched six seasons in the Mexican League before the Yankees signed him as a minor-league free agent before the 2008 season. "I'm happy to be here." Girardi compared Aceves to former Yankee Ramiro Mendoza, a valuable contributor for three of the Yankees' four most recent World Series championship teams. Like Aceves, Mendoza could be counted on in close games or even make the occasional spot start. While many pitchers often want the structure of narrowly defined roles, Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland said Aceves stands out in that he has no preference on what role he plays. "He just wants to pitch," Eiland said. "He can start if he has to, he can pitch long relief, he can set-up. He could probably close if we asked him to. Those guys are very valuable." A strike-thrower his entire career, Aceves throws a wide variety of pitches, including a fastball, splitter, cutter, curveball and changeup. The key, Eiland said, is Aceves has displayed the ability to command all of his pitches. "He believes in his stuff," he said. "He believes that he's better than the hitter, and that goes a long way. Aceves' value has been amplified further by the Yankees' unsettled bullpen situation. Brian Bruney and Damaso Marte, who broke camp expecting to share the eighth-inning role, are on the disabled list. They have combined to miss 47 games this season, forcing Girardi to improvise. Girardi said Aceves -- along with Phil Coke and Jose Veras -- would be used as set-up men. "I think it's a good opportunity for everybody," Aceves said. "But those decisions aren't in our hands." Of course, Girardi also hasn't ruled out using Aceves for multiple innings late in games in kind of a throwback use of relief pitchers. Because Aceves has been a starter for most of his professional career, Girardi said he feels comfortable having him face lefties and righties. "He gives you a lot of flexibility," Girardi said. "He could be a guy you ask to go the sixth, seventh and eighth. He can give you 50 pitches without you worrying about it." ALWAYS READY TO PITCH IN A look at Aceves' appearances: Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/4 -- Boston, Fifth inning, down four runs, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 4 1/3, 4, 2 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/13 -- Toronto, Seventh inning, ahead six runs, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 2, 1, 0 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/16 -- Minnesota, 11th inning, tied, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 1, 0, 0 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/17 -- Minnesota, 10th inning, tied, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 1, 0, 0 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/20 -- Baltimore, Sixth inning, ahead two runs, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 2, 2, 0 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/21 -- Baltimore, First inning, tied, runners on first and third, two out: IP, H, ER 3 1/3, 3, 0 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/25 -- Texas, Ninth inning, ahead 11 runs, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 1, 1, 1 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered 5/26 -- Texas, Fifth inning, down two runs, nobody on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 2, 4, 3 Date -- Opponent, Situation entered Friday -- Cleveland, Sixth inning, ahead three runs, two on, nobody out: IP, H, ER 3, 1, 0 http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2009/05/new_york_yankees_reliever_alfr.html --

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