MINNEAPOLIS – Manager Joe Girardi didn’t play Derek Jeter yesterday, but said he expects to have his shortstop tomorrow night.
“I would be shocked if he didn’t play,” Girardi said of Jeter, whose sore left foot kept him on the bench yesterday but not bad enough for him to pinch-hit in the ninth if needed in a 4-2 loss to the Twins.
Jeter suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off the instep in the fourth inning of Tuesday night’s 9-6 win. Despite a heavy limp Jeter remained in the game until the ninth.
Jeter went 3-for-5 and was placed on a cart to exit the Metrodome. When he reported to work yesterday morning Jeter was limping slightly and spent the entire pregame session receiving treatment.
“I will play, yes,” Jeter said of tomorrow night’s date with the Royals at Yankee Stadium.
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Girardi said the stiff shoulder that forced Dan Giese out of yesterday’s game in the sixth inning wasn’t a big deal, and he expected the journeyman right-hander to start Tuesday in Toronto.
Giese, however, painted a little more serious picture.
“Usually a shoulder loosens up, but mine got progressively worse,” said Giese, who will be examined today by Dr. Chris Ahmad. “I am going to see what’s going on in there.”
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Girardi didn’t sound like a man ready to welcome Phil Hughes or Carl “American Idle” Pavano into his rotation. Each will make at least one more minor league start Sunday.
“He is getting close to where he needs to be, he is not where he needs to be,” Girardi said of Hughes, who pitched 51/3 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) Tuesday night.
Hughes could be recalled to face the Orioles on Aug. 23.
As for Pavano, Girardi said he wasn’t impressed by the reports from Pavano’s 41/3-inning stint for Trenton (Double-A) Tuesday night.
“He was OK. He got hit around a bit,” Girardi said of Pavano, who is attempting to come back from Tommy John surgery. His 30-day rehab assignment finishes Aug. 27.
Hughes started the season 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA, was placed on the DL with a fractured rib and optioned to Charleston (Single-A) on July 30.
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Andy Pettitte (12-9; 4.32 ERA) opens a three-game series against the Royals tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. RHP Gil Meche (10-9; 4.24) goes for the visitors. Sidney Ponson (7-3; 4.27) will face RHP Zack Greinke (9-8; 4.09) Saturday and Mike Mussina (15-7; 3.30) opposes RHP Brian Bannister (7-11; 5.36) Sunday.