The Yanks have been in unfamiliar territory so far this season (under .500, double-digit deficit in the standings, uncertainty in the starting rotation), but one thing has remained constant.

The Angels still have their number.

Rookie Tyler Clippard pitched poorly in his second career start and the bullpen pitched even worse as the Angels scored early and often en route to a 10-6 thrashing of the Yankees on a Friday night in the Bronx.

The Good:

Alex Rodriguez.  A-Rod's 19th homer of the season in the second inning sliced the Angel lead in half at 2-1.  That was the closest the Yanks would come all night.  Rodriguez continues to lead the league in homers, but has dropped to second in the RBI department to Magglio Ordonez.  A-Rod finished 1 for 4 with the homer, a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI.

The Bad:

Tyler Clippard.  Clippard was in trouble the minute he toed the rubber.  He fell behind hitters and left fat pitches up in the strike zone.  Still, it was surprising to see him leave after only four innings.  His first big league loss went like this: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.

Matt DeSalvo.  If Clippard's departure after only four innings (and 77 pitches) was surprising, then watching Matt DeSalvo trot on in relief was downright shocking.  What made it worse was that DeSalvo failed to record an out in his first major league relief appearance.  DeSalvo's line: 0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB.

Luis Vizcaino.  Vizcaino's new nickname should be "The Gasman" because his outings are like pouring gasoline on a fire.  If Kyle Farnsworth's grade out of the pen is an "F" right now, then Vizcaino's grade has to be a "G."  Vizcaino's line: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HR.

The Ugly:

Phil Hughes' rehab hits bump.  Hughes rolled his ankle during an agility drill on Friday and he is scheduled to have an MRI.  It doesn't look serious (so far), but the news isn't something Yankee fans want to hear right now.

Chien-Ming Wang gets the call for the Bombers on Saturday afternoon.  The Yanks need a strong showing (and a win) to wash away the bitter taste of Friday night's disaster.  The Halos will go with Kelvim Escobar who is having a fine season so far (5-2, 2.82 ERA), but has struggled in his career against the Yanks (6-7, 5.24 ERA).

They say the one constant in life is change.

Let's see if the Yanks can change their luck with the Angels.