TORONTO — Robinson Cano and the Yankees avoided what would have been a serious problem when X-rays of the second baseman’s left hand late Friday night were negative.
“I was worried when I got hit,’’ said Cano, who was drilled by a pitch by the Blue Jays’ Brett Cecil in the sixth inning Friday night. “I thought it was something bad. It’s nothing major.’’
Cano, who stayed in the game, started in yesterday’s 3-2 loss and went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
“I’m sure there is a little bit of soreness, but no broken bones,’’ Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s one of our main guys in the lineup. You pencil him in third or fourth every day, so he’s extremely important.’’
* Girardi used Derek Jeter as the DH yesterday because Jeter had started five straight games at shortstop and is recovering from a lower left leg bruise.
However, six innings into the game, Girardi shifted Jeter to short and took out Eduardo Nunez.
Girardi said the move was made for defensive purposes and Nunez’s spot in the order, eighth, wasn’t going to surface before Andy Pettitte came out of the game.
“I don’t have control over that,’’ said Nunez, who went 1-for-3, hit the ball hard in his two outs and admitted being surprised by the move. “It doesn’t matter what I think. If he makes a move he thinks will help the team to win, there’s nothing you can do.’’
Jeter led off the game with a single and went 1-for-5. The majors’ leader in hits with 210 is in a 2-for-21 (.095) slide.
“We have to be smart here, we can’t hurt Jete,’’ Girardi said.
Nunez hadn’t played short since last Sunday, when he made two errors in a 5-4 loss to the A’s. The Yankees did not take batting practice prior to yesterday’s game, but Nunez was on the field taking ground balls at short.
“[Jeter] has played every day, day games after night,’’ said Girardi, who believes Jeter’s lower left leg bruise is getting better. “He is moving better than he was but it’s still something we have to monitor.’’
* Until he looked at the replay, Brett Gardner wasn’t sure he was safe when called out trying to steal second in the eighth as a pinch-runner.
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure I was safe, it was a close play,’’ Gardner said. “If I get a little better jump, we wouldn’t be talking about it.’’
TV replays clearly showed Gardner was safe.
Gardner, activated from the disabled list this week after being out since April, has entered games as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. The only thing left is to get an at-bat.
* According to Girardi, Mark Teixeira had a “real good day’’ yesterday in Tampa and the switch-hitting first baseman is close to returning.
“He said he ran well and felt really good,’’ Girardi said. “We could see him maybe against Boston.’’
Teixeira has played one game since Aug. 28 because of a left calf injury.
* The Yankees sent reserve infielder Jayson Nix to New York for an MRI exam on his left hip. They could have used him yesterday.
Nix, who played third base in Thursday night’s 6-0 loss, informed the club of the problem Friday when he didn’t play.
“It was on a ground ball to his left,’’ Girardi said. “He didn’t mention it Thursday night. For us to send him back for an MRI, there’s a concern. There’s a possibility we won’t have him for a while. That’s why you worry, because he’s extremely important.’’
Andruw Jones struck out twice against Ricky Romero and is 4-for-28 (.143) against the Blue Jays’ lefty.
“Romero’s got my number,’’ said Jones, who whiffed with two on to end the first and fanned with the bases loaded and one out in the third.
Jones has started one game since Aug. 16 and is hitting .202 (34-for-168) against lefties. …
Asked if the Yankees would celebrate clinching one of the two AL wild card spots, Girardi said, “I really don’t think so. Maybe I’ll have dessert.’’