Even when the Yankees win they lose these days.
Yes, they felt very good about beating the Tigers and Justin Verlander, 5-1, Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium when journeyman Chris Capuano was better than one of the three Cy Young winners the Tigers threw in the first three clashes of this four-game series. Sure, watching Chase Headley and Brian McCann homer off Verlander was sweet.
And two gift runs in the eighth inning on a throwing error by Andrew Romine certainly were nice.
Then the news that Mark Teixeira took three stitches on the inside of the left pinkie came down and nobody seems to know when the first baseman/cleanup hitter will play again.
“I don’t think [he will play Thursday], and I am not sure what this means, the stitches,’’ manager Joe Girardi said.
Teixeira was on second when Romine threw to first base looking for an inning-ending double play. Instead, the bag was uncovered and Teixeira attempted to score from second with a hand-first slide that caught catcher Bryan Holaday’s cleat.
Originally called out, Teixeira immediately flashed the safe sign and signaled to the Yankees dugout to challenge the call. Then Teixeira grabbed his pinkie. The ruling was changed, the Yankees had a 5-1 cushion and Teixeira was off to get stitched.
“I have no idea, it’s three stitches, a bad cut,’’ Teixeira said when asked how long he would be out. Injuries have limited him to 84 of the Yankees’ 113 games. “I took one look and looked away.’’
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A year ago Teixeira could have run into Holaday, but rule adjustments have changed the game, and many runners and catchers aren’t sure of what they can and can’t do.
“There was only a little bit of the plate. I thought we had rules, but that’s a different story,’’ said Teixeira, who had X-rays that were negative. “My hand got into his cleat.’’
Considering the damage that can be done sticking a hand into the fray, Teixeira was asked if he always comes into home with his hands first.
“When there is no plate, you try to touch the plate quickly,’’ said Teixeira, who had an RBI single in the three-run eighth when the Yankees stretched a 2-1 lead to 5-1. “You slide with your feet, you break your ankle.’’
The victory enabled the Yankees to move five games back of the AL East-leading Orioles and stay one game behind the Blue Jays for the second and final wild-card ticket.
Derek Jeter went 1-for-4 and with 3,429 hits he is one away from tying Honus Wagner for sixth on the all-time list.
In his third start for the Yankees after being plucked from the pitching-poor Rockies minor league system, Capuano allowed one run (unearned thanks to Jeter’s first-inning fielding error) and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked one and fanned eight.
“He pitched his butt off,’’ said Adam Warren, who replaced Capuano in the seventh with runners at the corners and two outs. He retired Rajai Davis on a grounder to the right side to strand two. “The changeup was great tonight.’’
Headley’s second homer as a Yankee and ninth this season erased a 1-0 deficit in the fifth, and McCann’s second homer in as many games and 13th of the year in the seventh turned out to be the game-winner.
Three runs in the eighth enabled Girardi to keep closer David Robertson out of the game and also rest Dellin Betances, who appeared in three of the previous four games.
Nevertheless, one of those runs resulted in Teixeira being hurt again, and nobody knowing when he will return.