OVER THE TOP: Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie tumbles over the railing into the photographers’ well trying to field a pop-up in a rain-shortened 6-0 loss to the Yankees yesterday, then needs help exiting the game (inset) because of a right calf contusion. (
)
Alex Rodriguez was back at third base yesterday after two games at designated hitter because of a stiff neck, and he didn’t take long to make the crowd pine for Eric Chavez.
On the second play of the Yankees’ rain-shortened 6-0 win, Rodriguez threw wildly to first for a two-base error after fielding a grounder by Toronto’s Brett Lawrie.
In the sixth, he couldn’t handle a slow grounder by Yunel Escobar that bounced off his glove. The play was ruled a hit.
“He doesn’t look uncomfortable,” Joe Girardi said. “He made a bad throw. It was do-or-die on the other one.”
The manager acknowledged earlier in the week that Rodriguez’s better performance at the plate when he doesn’t have to play the field was something that was on his radar, but he had made no plans to increase the third baseman’s time as a DH.
“He looks fine to me,” Mark Teixeira said. “Sometimes it’s tough when you haven’t played in a couple of days, and then right away you get a ground ball.”
The Stadium crowd didn’t agree, giving Rodriguez a mock cheer when he caught a routine pop-up after not making the play on Escobar.
* Brett Gardner and the Yankees still are waiting to hear from doctors regarding his most recent MRI exam after the left fielder again complained of stiffness in his injured right elbow.
* Robinson Cano extended his career-high hitting streak to 21 games when Blue Jays left fielder Rajai Davis failed to catch Cano’s drive in the first, which was scored a double. … Teixeira went 2-for-3 and is hitting .326 with six homers and 19 RBIs this month, but said he’s “still not 100 percent” from the vocal cord nerve damage that plagued him earlier in the season.
* Lawrie took a scary fall into the camera well near the Blue Jays dugout when he flipped over the railing attempting to catch a Teixeira pop-up in the third inning. He was diagnosed with a contusion below the right calf and is day-to-day.
* David Phelps was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after yesterday’s game. He is expected to rejoin the bullpen. Fellow right-hander D.J. Mitchell was optioned back to Triple-A to make room on the roster.
* Mariano Rivera isn’t interested in keeping up with his daily progress as he rehabs from a torn right knee ligament.
“I don’t want to know, believe it or not,” said Rivera, who has not ruled out pitching again this season. “If it happens, I’ll be OK. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be a little disappointed. I just take it day by day.”
Rivera, who rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, tore his ACL on May 3 shagging fly balls at Kaufmann Stadium prior to a Yankees game against the Royals and could return ahead of schedule.
—Additional reporting by Anthony Sulla-Heffinger