CC Sabathia will start tonight’s game in Baltimore after yesterday’s rainout against the Blue Jays in The Bronx, which is a better result than the last time he had to deal with bad weather.
His outing against the Rockies on May 9 in Denver was cut short after four innings because of a lengthy rain delay. The Yankees were able to avoid that by calling yesterday’s game half an hour before it was scheduled to begin after conversations between owner Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman and the grounds crew.
The lefty was pleased he never had to take the mound.
“For sure,” said Sabathia, who played catch before the washout. “That happened in Colorado. We ended up getting the win, but you don’t want to kind of waste starts.”
With the forecast showing rain until 9 p.m. yesterday, the teams never took the field, allowing Sabathia to start tonight in Baltimore, followed by Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda.
Conveniently, the schedule now allows the Yankees to skip Vidal Nuno, who was recalled Saturday and in line to start in place of Andy Pettitte tomorrow.
No makeup game was announced for the rainout, but fans holding tickets can use them for the rescheduled game or exchange their paid tickets for any regular-season game at Yankee Stadium, subject to availability.
* Joe Girardi said Mark Teixeira continues to make progress in Tampa from his right wrist tendon injury and is almost ready to start doing more.
“We’re encouraged by what he’s doing,” Girardi said. “There probably has to be a next step here pretty quick, where he starts some live [batting practice] or some simulated games.”
While Teixeira is eligible to come off the disabled list by the end of the month, Girardi said the Yankees won’t know if he’s ready until the switch-hitter starts taking more swings. In the meantime, the manager remains pleased with how Lyle Overbay has held up this season.
“Right now he’s doing well physically,” Girardi said. “We continue to talk to him and he looks pretty good.”
* Kevin Youkilis (back) took batting practice in the cage Saturday, according to Girardi, who isn’t ready to pick a date for him to be back in the lineup, either.
“I’ll worry about that when we get there,” Girardi said. “What happens in between, who knows around here?”
Alex Rodriguez (hip) is doing tee-and-toss drills and running.