OAKLAND, Calif. — Twenty minutes before the start of Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the A’s, the Yankees scratched Mark Teixeira because of tightness in his left rib cage.
Teixeira went through batting practice and didn’t appear to have a problem.
His absence led to manager Joe Girardi shuffling his lineup.
Brian McCann (1-for-4) moved from catcher to first base. Alfonso Soriano (0-for-4), who originally was going to DH and bat sixth against A’s lefty Scott Kazmir, moved into Teixeira’s cleanup spot. John Ryan Murphy caught and batted eighth, and went hitless in three at bats.
***
After taking a foul ball off his right knee Friday night, switch-hitting second baseman Brian Roberts wasn’t in Saturday night’s lineup against the A’s.
“Brian Roberts is a little beat up,’’ said Girardi, who played the ice-cold Yangervis Solarte (0-for-3) at second and Kelly Johnson at third against Kazmir. “He’s available but he’s hit a ball off that knee a couple of times. He’s kind of sore. I figure I might give him [Saturday and Sunday] and see if we can clear it up.’’
If Roberts doesn’t play Sunday, he would have three straight days to rest since the Yankees are off Monday. Roberts went 2-for-4 Friday night and is in a 7-for-39 (.179) funk.
Roberts wasn’t the only one receiving treatment in trainer Steve Donohue’s room Friday night.
Brendan Ryan, Brett Gardner and McCann came out of a 7-0 victory over the A’s with different medical situations, none of which appeared serious.
Ryan got hit on the left elbow by a 79-mph breaking ball from Jim Johnson in the ninth inning. He was examined by the A’s doctor and taken for X-rays that were negative.
Gardner, who went 1-for-4 Saturday, was hit in the helmet by a 73-mph breaking ball from Fernando Abad in the seventh inning Friday, stayed in the game and was checked out.
While Coco Crisp was swinging at a third strike in the eighth Friday, the ball hit the dirt and caught McCann’s finger tips. He stayed in the game.
The affable Ryan was more embarrassed that he hit the dirt after getting hit by a breaking ball.
“I couldn’t believe I went down,’’ said Ryan, who was hit on the funny bone and lost feeling in his fingers. “I’m going to hear about it.’’
Ryan wears a protective pad on his elbow, but wasn’t sure where the ball got him.
“It’s embarrassing, getting hit by a curveball,’’ said Ryan, who entered the game Friday as a pinch-hitter for Derek Jeter and did not play Saturday. “It’s a little bone bruise.’’
McCann shrugged off the fact of his fingers getting clipped as an occupational hazard.
“I’m fine,” he said. “It’s what I signed up for.’’
Gardner said he was OK, and was leading off and playing left field. Roberts said his leg wasn’t serious enough to keep him out of the lineup Saturday.
Since coming off the disabled list June 5, Carlos Beltran has struggled mightily at the plate. The switch-hitting DH who did not play Saturday is batting .129 (4-for-31) in 10 games with two RBIs and .154 (2-for-13) with runners in scoring position. He has whiffed at least once in each game and has 10 strikeouts. Beltran fanned 21 times in 33 games before going on the DL on May 13 with a bone spur in his right elbow.
The Yankees and first pick Jacob Lindgren reached a deal. Lindgren, a lefty reliever from Mississippi State, was the 55th selection (a $1.1 million slot) in the draft. Selected in the second round, Lindgren will start at Staten Island (Short Season Class A) or Charleston (Low Class A).
The A’s will present Jeter with gifts Sunday, and former teammate and current Oakland hitting coach Chili Davis plans on giving Jeter a personal gift.
“I want him to be surprised so I can’t tell you what it is,’’ said Davis, who played with Jeter on World Series winners in 1998-99.
Jeter’s two hits Friday night gave him nine in 16 at-bats (.563) in four games after having three hits in 26 at-bats (.115). The hot streak raised Jeter’s average from .254 to .275 before he went 0-for-4 on Saturday.
Girardi went into the game with 599 wins as Yankees manager, one shy of becoming the sixth Bombers skipper to reach the 600-victory milestone. Joe McCarthy (1,460), Joe Torre (1,173), Casey Stengel (1,149), Miller Huggins (1,067) and Ralph Houk (944) are the franchise leaders.