Chris Dickerson had quite a day, robbing Adam Jones of a two-run home run (Neil Miller)
GRAND STAGE: Chris Dickerson had quite a day, robbing Adam Jones of a two-run home run and hitting his own two-run home run, as he filled in for Curtis Granderson. (Neil Miller; AP)
Chris Dickerson’s timing couldn’t have been better yesterday — with his catch to rob Adam Jones of a two-run home run or his overall performance the day after center fielder Curtis Granderson tweaked his right hamstring.
Dickerson was the lone bright spot for the Yankees in an ugly 8-3 loss to the Orioles at the Stadium that sliced their AL East lead to two games. The journeyman outfielder, who was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday as part of the expanded rosters, homered in his first major league at-bat of the year in the second inning, scored two runs and made two brilliant plays in the outfield.
“It was a good start,” he said. “It was really important to get thrown in there right away.”
The veteran outfielder, who was with the Yankees last September, isn’t sure what his performance means for the immediate future while Granderson is out with hamstring tendinitis. But it sure can’t hurt.
“However and wherever they need me, I’ll be ready,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson gave the Yankees a two-run lead in the second inning when he lined a 2-1 fastball from Orioles starter Chris Tillman over the wall down the right-field line. He later walked and scored on Nick Swisher’s RBI single.
Dickerson also robbed J.J. Hardy of a double with a nice running catch in the left-center field gap in the first and then leaped over the wall in right-center to take a homer away from Jones in the fourth.
Manager Joe Girardi lifted him for pinch-hitter Andruw Jones in the seventh inning, a move that surprised some, even Dickerson, considering his performance.
“He called me over; I thought we were going to bunt,” he said. “My reaction is it is what it is. I trust in Joe’s judgment.”
Girardi said his intention was to pull even with a two-run homer and take advantage of Jones’ penchant for hitting lefties hard. Even if Baltimore went to right-hander Luis Ayala, who was warming up at the time, Jones has good numbers against him, too, the manager said.
“You’re thinking about a righty against a lefty hitting a two-run homer,” he said.
Girardi declined to say Dickerson would play center field while Granderson is out, but he was effusive in his praise of the Triple-A call-up.
“He played well, extremely well,” Girardi said. “He was a big part of our offense and he made some nice defensive plays. Two-run homer, walk, scored two runs. It’s a nice day.”
It just wasn’t quite nice enough for the Yankees.
zbraziller@nypost.com