Manager Joe Girardi didn’t have relievers Alfredo Aceves or Phil Hughes for last night 5-2 victory over the Red Sox at the Stadium.
Aceves was down with a barking lower back and the manager didn’t want to use Hughes three straight games and five out of six.
PETTITTE PITCHING LIKE OLD SELF
So when it was time to protect a one-run lead in the eighth against the Red Sox, Girardi turned to neophyte lefty Phil Coke and watched him flush the skinny advantage by giving up a two-run homer to Victor Martinez.
“He was off today,” Girardi said of Hughes, who has dominated as Mariano Rivera’s set up man and had thrown a total of nine pitches Friday and Saturday. “I don’t like using any of our pitchers three days in a row. You risk hurting them.”
Aceves was battling a back problem.
“He did throw 33 pitches the other day, and his back is a little sore,” Girardi said.
The good news is the problem isn’t Aceves’ right shoulder that barked in late July.
After pitching on July 25 against the Angels and giving up two runs and three hits in one-third of an inning, the right-hander didn’t work again until July 31.
In two-thirds of an inning he gave up four runs and three hits against the White Sox. Aceves’ next outing wasn’t until Aug. 5 when he gave up a run on a homer in two innings at Toronto.
Friday night, the shoulder was fine, and he pitched three shutout innings in the Yankees’ 2-0, 15-inning victory over the Red Sox.
In 29 games (one start) Aceves is 7-1 with a 3.38 ERA.
Girardi said the newly acquired Chad Gaudin was available last night for the multiple innings role usually filled by Aceves.
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To make room for Gaudin, who was acquired from San Diego Thursday, the Yankees designated right-hander Josh Towers for assignment. Towers was on the roster one day (Saturday).
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Just because Alex Rodriguez was used as the DH against lefty Jon Lester last night doesn’t mean Girardi has changed his mind about giving Rodriguez more rest against the Blue Jays.
“I chose to DH him today and I could still give him a day [off] against Toronto,” Girardi said of Rodriguez, who hit his 21st home run (a solo shot) of the season. “Or I could DH him another day against Toronto. I just thought we had some long games and I could DH him. It has nothing to do with Toronto, and there is nothing physically wrong. I just felt this was a good day to do it.”
It was the ninth time Rodriguez was the DH this season.
Asked if not using Hideki Matsui against Lester was because Matsui was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, Girardi said it was more to do with needing to use Rodriguez as a DH to stick with the plan laid out by Rodriguez’s hip doctors.
“We talked about playing the same lineup as we did [Saturday],” said Girardi, who used Matsui as the DH against righty Clay Buchholz. “I thought it would benefit Al because of these three long intense games against the Red Sox to have a DH day.”
While Girardi hasn’t used Matsui as the DH in the past four games started by lefties he says he isn’t given up starting Matsui against lefties.
“Matty has been great in the [DH spot] and Matty has been great hitting behind Alex,” Girardi said. “But with Alex it’s a situation we have to monitor so it’s best to DH Alex. I have no fear of putting Matsui against anyone, right-handed, left-handed, I don’t care.”
Matsui grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
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Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back homers in the eighth. It was the sixth time this year they accomplished that and that’s the most in team history. They were tied with Gary Sheffield /Rodriguez (2005), Lou Gehrig / Joe DiMaggio (1936) and Gehrig / Babe Ruth (1927).
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In addition to scoring just two runs in the final 33 innings of the series, the Red Sox went 3-for-38 (.079) with runners in scoring position for the four games.
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Girardi has noticed a change in the way the ball carries at Yankee Stadium during the summer months.
“I think the park has played a little differently from the first 1½ months. The ball carried better than it does now. Everyone thought it was going to be like that all year,” Girardi said.”
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Sergio Mitre (1-0; 7.50 ERA) opens a three-game series against the Blue Jays tonight at the Stadium. LHP Marc Rzepczynski (1-3; 3.74) starts for the visitors. Joba Chamberlain (8-2; 3.73) draws RHP Scott Richmond (6-6; 3.97) tomorrow night and A.J. Burnett (10-5; 3.67) faces LHP Ricky Romero (10-5; 3.66) Wednesday.