CLEVELAND — Three hours before last night’s Yankees game Mariano Rivera wasn’t sure he would be available to Joe Girardi due to soreness above his right elbow on the outside of the arm.
It turned out that Girardi didn’t have Rivera and it affected the way the manager worked the late innings of a 6-3 loss to the Indians.
“I don’t know,” Rivera told The Post when asked before the game if he could pitch.
Following the second straight Yankees defeat, Rivera said he wasn’t concerned, but . . .
“The triceps has a little soreness,” Rivera said. “I got a lot of treatment, hopefully I will [pitch] tomorrow. I am not concerned, things like that happen. I had the day off. I wasn’t pitching at all.”
Rivera said he did not undergo an X-ray or an MRI, and no tests were scheduled.
Rivera worked hard over the weekend. Girardi used the closer in a non-save situation for two outs Friday as he protected a 5-1 victory over the Mets. On Saturday, as Sergio Mitre was turning a 5-0 game to 5-2, Rivera was forced to warm. And on Sunday, Rivera threw 21 pitches, his most since May 15, in failing to maintain a 2-1 lead.
Rivera, who has flushed four of 25 save chances, said the problem wasn’t serious and not the reason he blew the save. With two outs, Rivera gave up a walk and two singles.
“When I pitch, I don’t feel anything,” said Rivera when asked if the problem affected him Sunday.
“It’s no big deal,” said the 41-year-old Rivera, who was second in the AL with 21 saves. “If you don’t feel soreness while you are pitching you must be a magician.”
The situation could cloud Rivera’s ability to participate in next Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Phoenix. He was named to the AL team for the 12th time Sunday.
Should the soreness linger the Yankees certainly wouldn’t want Rivera risking further problems by pitching in the All-Star Game. Last year Rivera did not attend the All-Star Game due to a sore right knee and discomfort in the left rib-cage area.