ANAHEIM, Calif. — There was no mistaking the Yankees’ disgust with home plate umpire Laz Diaz after Monday’s loss.
By the start of Tuesday night’s game, though, manager Joe Girardi said his ejection and fierce argument with Diaz was history.
“It was a frustrating game but you have to move on,’’ said Girardi, who went nose-to-nose with Diaz, an umpire known to grab attention.
So loud was Girardi that Tuesday his voice was very thin because of his vocal chords being strained.
With the bases loaded in the eighth, nobody out, the score tied 1-1 and the count on Brett Gardner 1-0, Diaz called a low pitch a strike. Already believing Diaz missed a pitch to Kelly Johnson, Girardi said something from the dugout and Diaz ejected the manager. That sent Girardi into a rage that ended with him watching the remainder of the game away from the dugout.
“No one comes to see Laz, I can tell you that,’’ Girardi said before the Yankees’ 4-3 victory Tuesday night.
Girardi went further in his criticism of Diaz and could get fined more than the normal $500 for an ejection. An ejection fine can’t bring more than $2,500.
Girardi answered “yes’’ when asked if Diaz instigated the issue and when asked if the history between the umpire and the Yankees has evolved into a problem, he said, “I don’t know. That’s something you are going to have to ask him.’’
In 2012, Russell Martin and Diaz had a problem in Anaheim, with the Yankees catcher accusing the home plate umpire of not allowing him to throw new baseball back to the pitcher after complaining about strike calls.
Understanding the current state of the Yankees’ rotation, David Phelps wasn’t pitching for his spot in it Monday night against the Angels.
What the right-hander delivered in his initial start of the season certainly earned him the right to remain as one of Girardi’s five starters.
“He was outstanding, he seemed to have control of all his pitches,’’ Girardi said of Phelps, who allowed a run and three hits in 5 ¹/₃ innings of a 4-1 defeat that was decided after he turned the game over to Adam Warren. “He almost got us to the sixth [inning]. He is starting Sunday.’’
With his 10-game suspension complete, Michael Pineda (back) went on the disabled list Tuesday. That allowed the Yankees to active shortstop Brendan Ryan from the DL and resume playing with the full complement of 25 players.
They had been playing with 24 since Pineda was suspended April 24 when caught with pine tar lathered onto his neck. Pineda is expected to miss three to four weeks.