MLB

Yankees ace back to mound after rough opener

BALTIMORE — There was a time when CC Sabathia stewed over a bad outing like the one he had against the Rays on Opening Day last Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Marriage and fatherhood have changed his approach, but that doesn’t mean giving up five runs and eight hits in six innings of a 7-6 loss are completely forgotten by the Yankees ace.

“Having family and kids allows me to let bad games go,’’ said Sabathia, who makes his second start Wednesday night against the Orioles at Camden Yards. “They don’t care if I throw a no-hitter or give up a home run.’’

BOX SCORE

One of the two homers Sabathia gave up last Friday was a first-inning grand slam to lefty Carlos Pena. It came on a fastball Sabathia didn’t locate where he wanted.

“He really made just one mistake,’’ pitching coach Larry Rothschild said of Sabathia, who has been subpar in Opening Day assignments.

“Good or bad games I don’t take them away from the field,’’ Sabathia said. Based on Sabathia’s numbers against the Orioles and at Camden Yards, he couldn’t have picked a better place to erase the first game.

Sabathia is 16-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 22 career starts versus the O’s and 10-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 12 Camden Yards outings.

In addition to leaving the game at the ballpark, Sabathia said he doesn’t tinker in the bullpen after a bad start.

“I don’t want to fluctuate,’’ Sabathia said.

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After not starting Brett Gardner against lefty starters in the second and fourth games of the season, manager Joe Girardi put the left-handed-hitting outfielder in the lineup against Orioles lefty Wei-Yin Chen in Tuesday night’s 12-inning, 5-4 victory.

Gardner had two hits, including the game-tying RBI single that knocked Chen from the game.

“I told him he wasn’t going to sit against all left-handers,’’ Girardi said. “It’s important he gets at-bats against lefties.’’

Andruw Jones, who played left field in the other two games started by lefties, was the designated hitter.

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Girardi said he was not too bothered by the Orioles’ Robert Andino tipping location of Mariano Rivera’s pitches from second base in the ninth inning of Monday’s game.

“It is part of the game,” Girardi said. “I tell the catcher’s it’s their responsibility [to hide signs or give location late]. That was part of what you work on, where you set up.’’

Russell Martin said he didn’t like Andino’s act and told him so after the 6-2 Yankees win. Andino responded to Martin and had to be nudged toward the dugout by manager Buck Showalter.

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Jorge Posada is scheduled to be at the Yankees’ Welcome Home Dinner Thursday night in Manhattan.

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Right-hander Michael Pineda, on the disabled list because of right shoulder tendinitis, continued a long-toss program on flat ground Tuesday. There was no word on when he will graduate to a half-mound.