BALTIMORE — Buck Showalter hasn’t been as mesmerized by the Yankees’ fast start as have many others around baseball.
Instead, the man who used to have Joe Girardi’s job in The Bronx pointed to the ways the team has been able to overcome the injuries to so many of their high-profile players.
“I’ve got news for you: Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay have been good players for most of their career for an extended period of time,” the Orioles’ manager said before that trio played a huge role in the Yankees’ 6-4 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
Hafner and Overbay each went deep and Wells knocked in the game-winning run in the 10th inning.
“The Yankees were able to acquire them by the means they use,” Showalter said. “God bless them. They have a solid track record, and I don’t think it should surprise anybody that they’re contributors over there, whatever uniform they put on.”
As Showalter has pointed out in the past, his former employer can afford to take chances other organizations can’t. Trading for Wells — and his hefty contract — during spring training is just one example. So was adding Andy Pettitte last spring, which Showalter mentioned at the time.
“I don’t know that anybody cares what people think,” Hafner said. “We just want to win.”
But just as important as the production the Yankees have received from those veteran sluggers, Showalter said the Yankees’ pitching is what sets them apart and is why they have thrived without Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira all season, as well as Curtis Granderson and Kevin Youkilis for much of the year.
“Any time you can run Sabathia, [Hiroki] Kuroda and those types of guys, with [Mariano] Rivera and [David Robertson [in the bullpen], you’re in good shape,” Showalter said before his team was done in by its shaky bullpen, losing its sixth straight despite getting to Sabathia for four runs and 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings.
“If you pitch well and catch the baseball, you’ve got the chance to win a lot of baseball games. That’s something we’ve got to do a better job of.”
The Yankees are doing a pretty good job with Wells, Overbay and Hafner, players considered to be washed up by many — but not GM Brian Cashman or, evidently, Showalter.
dan.martin@nypost.com