But after him, the Yankees can only hope for a quality start.

If I had not had a quality start today, it would have been a little more frustrating.

Willis earned a quality start in 9 of his 13 starts for Cincinnati.

"That's about as close to a quality start as you're going to get with these guys," he said.

He turned in a quality start, pitching 6 innings and giving up just two earned runs.

The starters have not had a quality start (at least six innings and no more than three earned runs) in nine games.

It was another quality start for Mussina, his 12th in a row to open the season.

These days, the duration of a quality start on normal rest has shrunk from eight innings to six or seven.

"I wanted to have a quality start and get out of the rut."

But it's really about having a quality start, giving the team a chance to win.