“For him to go through what he’s gone through the last two outings, this guy’s human,” Hunter said. “He’s going to get older, and it’s going to slow down for him, but I still don’t want to face him.”

Hunter continued: “Hitters still fear him. Mariano’s name carries weight, and I’m not even going off his name, I’m going off what he still has. His cutter is unbelievable. Still, to this day. He doesn’t throw as hard — 91, 92 — but the cutter still cuts the same.”

Against Abreu on Tuesday, it did not, and Scutaro also handled the pitch. Rivera is signed through next season, and he reacted calmly to the defeats, as always. But such moments remind us of the uncomfortable reality that Rivera, the Yankees’ indispensable closer, is reaching an expiration date, as all players do.

– Tyler Kepner, N.Y. Times.

Speculation about the inevitable end of the Mariano Rivera era in the Bronx is now about as predictable as Mariano Rivera. Every time a couple of his rare blown saves happen to come back-to-back, Yankee fans freak out and baseball columnists start penning eulogies for his ridiculously awesome career.

Here’s the thing, though: Rivera is still great. His ERA in 2011 is exactly at his career mark, and his WHIP and K:BB are better than his established (and awesome) rates. To his credit, Kepner notes a lot of that in his column.

Watch: Rivera’s going to lock down his next 15 chances, and everyone will clam up about his age. Same thing’ll happen next year.