ESPN Buster Olney Blog

It was midway through Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson's latest piece of dominance Saturday night when Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano turned and mentioned to Marlins catcher John Baker that he was struggling to figure out what Johnson was throwing. This is why Cano and Nick Swisher and other Yankees kept swinging at pitches that bounced in the dirt as if they were sportswriters picking up a bat for the first time.

But hitting isn't that easy when Johnson throws a fastball that seems to move on a horizontal plane as long as Alligator Alley, then mixes in a slider that breaks down and in. "His fastball is just that good," Baker remarked after Johnson overpowered the Yankees 2-1 to run his record to 7-1. "His stuff is up there with the best guys in baseball."

Johnson is becoming the National League's version of Roy Halladay this season: He is consistently excellent. You might beat the Marlins on the days he pitches, and occasionally, you might beat him. But you'll have to earn a win, and most of the time, he will beat you. Johnson, 25, has made 15 starts this season and has pitched into the seventh inning 12 times. He has completed at least seven innings in each of his past six starts and has surrendered more than three runs just once this season.

Johnson leads all pitchers in innings with 105, is ninth in ERA at 2.66 and is tied for second in quality starts with 13.

And also like Halladay, Johnson is unflappable. On Saturday night, the Marlins led 2-0 in the seventh inning, and with one out, Johnson walked Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira. Slow-footed catcher Jorge Posada chopped a grounder toward Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez, for an easy double-play ball. But Ramirez fumbled a bit before throwing the ball to second baseman Dan Uggla, and with the timing of the play off a little, Uggla fired the ball high to first. Posada was safe. An inning that should've been over continued, and Cano singled through the middle.

Johnson's command of his slider is usually so good, Baker said, that he is adept at adjusting from pitch to pitch after making a mistake. Johnson hung a slider to Swisher, who fouled the pitch off; Johnson tried another slider, hung it again -- and Swisher rifled a single to right field, cutting the Marlins' lead to 2-1.

With the tying run at second, Johnson blew away Yankees center fielder Melky Cabrera with fastballs, then muttered to himself as he walked off the mound, frustrated that he hadn't made a better pitch to Swisher. Although some poor defense behind him had created the opportunity for a Yankees run, Johnson fretted only about what he had failed to do. "When we make mistakes in the field, there is no reaction from him," Baker said. "He's a special player."

Baker recalled how Johnson was on the mound during a batting practice session early in spring training, and the protocol at that time of year calls for the pitcher to inform his teammates which pitch is forthcoming. Johnson kept warning his teammates that he was about to throw his fastball. Even when armed with that knowledge, the hitting group -- comprised of Baker, Ramirez, Uggla and Jorge Cantu -- kept swinging and missing.

"He's a guy who is going to be dominant for a long time," Baker said.

The Yankees had no answers for Johnson, Tyler Kepner writes. Johnson's performance is putting pressure on the Marlins to sign him to a long-term deal, writes Dave Hyde.

• In recent days, there has been much better pitch-calling rapport between Posada and the Yankees' starting pitchers, and much less stopping and starting. That's not a surprise. Posada wants to win, and no matter who was at fault for the pitch-calling issues, it was something that needed to be fixed. It seems as though the pitchers and catcher are working toward that end. A.J. Burnett did not shake off any signs in Saturday's start.

Burnett expressed regret, by the way, for the way he departed Florida, Carlos Frias writes.

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