In the end, if the Yankees still can field nine players, they will be one strong-willed team. It’s all about survival now for The Replacements.
Even by 2013 standards, last night was a night of pain at Yankee Stadium as catcher Francisco Cervelli suffered a fractured right hand when he was hit with a foul ball off the bat of Rajai Davis, the first hitter of the night.
Then, in the third inning, Ivan Nova left with soreness near his right elbow.
Cervelli will undergo surgery and be lost at least six weeks. Nova most likely will be shut down.
Through it all, the Yankees beat the fundamentally flawed Blue Jays, 6-4 as David Phelps, who remains a starter at heart, pitched four strong innings. Phelps struck out nine and surrendered one run on two hits. He became the first Yankee in the live ball era to strike out nine batters in four innings or fewer.
“Guys keep stepping up, just like they did tonight,’’ manger Joe Girardi said of the survival tactics. “That was a hard-fought game. You get a gutsy performance by Phelpsie to get us to the seventh inning, the bullpen does a good job. You get some tack-on runs by wild pitches, a home run from [Brett Gardner].
“You just keep finding ways, that’s what you do,’’ Girardi added. “Injuries are part of the game. It’s part of life. I’m sure everyone in here can attest to that life doesn’t go exactly the way we want it to sometimes. I’m proud of what these guys have done so far. We’ll keep fighting and keep finding ways.”
Mets castoff Aaron Laffey started for the Blue Jays, and that certainly helped the Yankees’ cause as he could not make it out of the third, giving up five walks, two hits and two runs.
The last-place Blue Jays are here for two more days. The last-place Astros (7-16) then come in for three, followed by the A’s, who have been pitiful against AL East.
The 13-9 Yankees, what’s left of them, have to take advantage of the weak.
Cervelli was replaced by Chris Stewart. The Yankees are also minus third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who still is out with a stiff back, and that is deeply troubling. They simply have no depth at third with Alex Rodriguez sidelined and have to play the light-hitting Jayson Nix there.
The Yankees need CC Sabathia to come up big today against J.A. Happ. The players who have filled in for the injured have done a terrific job and Mariano Rivera still is closing games (he picked up save No. 8 last night), so there remains hope.
“Our bullpen is extremely important to us, and our guys have found ways to score runs to put us in the lead to set up the bullpen,” Girardi said. “That’s baseball games. That’s what people love to see.’’
Robinson Cano is still the best hitter in the game and the most important Yankee. He’s healthy.
“The guys we have in the lineup have been doing a good job,” Cano said. “This is all about winning.”
The injuries have been difficult, but the Derek Jeter situation should not surprise anyone. Jeter is 38, and old shortstops don’t bounce back quickly from surgically repaired ankles. Eduardo Nunez is hitting just .164 and has to get in gear at the plate.
Girardi batted Nix in the golden second spot in the order — ahead of Cano — but if Nunez were swinging the bat the way he is capable, he would be batting second.
The Yankees have done a good job of winning the close games. They are 7-1 in games decided by two or fewer runs.
“Let’s keep that trend going,” said Vernon Wells, one of The Replacements.
Overcoming adversity will have to be the Yankee Way now.
“I don’t think guys are going to use this as a crutch,’’ Wells said. “It’s more motivation to go out and win in spite of it.’’
Somehow survive.