BALTIMORE — Manager Joe Girardi insisted he was right and plate umpire Gerry Davis wrong when Stephen Drew was called out for running inside the baseline in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 5-3 loss to the Orioles Wednesday night at Camden Yards.
After arguing vehemently that Davis had blown the call, Girardi went to look at a replay of a call that can’t be challenged.
“Gerry was wrong. Gerry got fooled,” Girardi said. “The catcher was on the right side of the line and the first baseman on the left side of the line and he said the runner was outside the line. It looked funny because he had to throw around him because the catcher and the first baseman were not on the same side.
“He told me to go check and I checked. When I came back I was right and I let him know.’’
That’s when Davis ejected Girardi from the game.
Replays show Drew started running in the baseline, but the closer he got to first base he drifted onto the infield grass.
“I felt like I was running in the baseline. I haven’t looked at a replay, but he felt I was inside the baseline,’’ said Drew, who made second base when catcher Nick Hundley’s throw to first went into right field.
Had Davis not called him out, Drew would have been in scoring position with two outs and the Yankees leading, 2-1.
“It was huge. I thought it was a big turning point for me,’’ Drew said. “There were two outs and Martin [Prado] coming up. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”
Girardi said there is a good chance Brian McCann will come off the seven-day concussion list Saturday, when the catcher is eligible.
“I think he will join us in [St. Petersburg, Fla.], go through BP. He feels good,’’ Girardi said of McCann, who took a foul tip off his face mask Aug. 8 and was diagnosed with a minor concussion. “He hit [Wednesday] and he feels good.’’
McCann is not with the Yankees on this leg of the two-city trip that continues Friday night against the Rays.
According to Girardi, McCann passed the impact test given to all players who suffer concussions.
Francisco Cervelli started for a fourth straight game and went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer and a walk. He is 2-for-10 as McCann’s replacement.
On Tuesday, the Yankees announced their rotation through Sunday, and it didn’t include Hiroki Kuroda, who worked this past Sunday. General manager Brian Cashman said the move was made to give the 39-year-old right-hander extra rest.
On Wednesday, however, the Yankees inserted Kuroda into the rotation for Sunday’s game against the Rays.
“We are being proactive,’’ Girardi said of the club’s attempt to keep Kuroda away from the fade he experienced last year when he went 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA during the last eight starts.
Kuroda is 7-8 with a 4.03 ERA in 24 starts and is the only member of the Opening Day rotation who hasn’t been on the disabled list this season. He will be working on six days of rest instead of the normal four.
In order to make room on the 25-man roster for Michael Pineda’s return from the DL, the Yankees designated reliever Chris Leroux for assignment. Leroux had joined the club Monday, replacing Bryan Mitchell, but he didn’t pitch Monday night and Tuesday night’s game was postponed due to rain.
Girardi would have opted for a split doubleheader instead of the two-admission twinbill on Sept. 12 when the Yankees return to Camden Yards. The Sept. 12 doubleheader is the result of Tuesday night’s game being rained out.
“I don’t think it hurt us,’’ Girardi said of Tuesday’s postponement. “Playing a split double-header after a night game in New York [on Sept. 11 against the Rays] isn’t great. I would have been happy with a split [Wednesday].”
Derek Jeter moved past George Brett into ninth place on the all–time list of games by players who have spent their entire career with one club. Wednesday night was Jeter’s 2,708th game in pinstripes. Next on the list is Mel Ott, who played in 2,730 for the Giants.