Masahiro Tanaka further established himself as the Yankees’ ace in a 3-1 win over Minnesota.
Too bad he can’t play first base.
Tanaka’s latest brilliant performance was overshadowed by Mark Teixeira’s sixth-inning exit with soreness in his surgically repaired right wrist. He admitted the pain began in Friday’s game, but he tried to play through it.
It was just Teixeira’s second game since sitting out three in a row with pain in the joint, adding more uncertainty to the position for the Yankees. He received a cortisone shot which the Yankees hope finally takes care of the problem.
“We already tried the rest and four days didn’t work,” Teixeira said. “That’s why the shot’s the next best thing. … If the shot doesn’t work, then I’m worried. We’ll go back to the drawing board.”
That’s the last thing the Yankees want, and manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman said they remained confident the first baseman will recover.
“It’s concerning in the short term,” Girardi said. “As far as the long term, we feel he’s going to be healthy. … I anticipate giving him Sunday and Monday off and see Tuesday. If we have to make a decision, we’ll make a decision.”
For now, however, that decision doesn’t seem to include finding another regular first baseman.
“We don’t need an everyday first baseman because I believe we have one,” Cashman said after the game. “He just needs a timeout here for the last week, but I met with the player and the physician and everyone thinks he’s going to be OK. Throughout the year, he’ll have to have some rest occasionally and get some treatment.”
For one day, at least, the Yankees were able to survive the injury, thanks not only to Tanaka, but to the struggling Brian McCann.
The catcher’s eighth-inning double drove in the winning run in The Bronx.
Tanaka (8-1) didn’t appear to have his best stuff and still managed to toss eight innings, giving up just an unearned run in the first inning. He surrendered four hits, a pair of walks and struck out nine. He and David Robertson were also able to withstand three errors.
“Obviously, for the offense, there’s good times and bad times,” Tanaka said through an interpreter. “As a pitcher, you’re trying to go out there to get as many zeroes up as possible on the scoreboard.”
Just as he had when asked on Friday, Tanaka shied away from saying he’s the ace of the staff.
“I don’t feel like I’m the ace,” Tanaka said.
Girardi disagreed.
“I think he relishes that role,” Girardi said before the game. “He has a very high expectation of himself. He’ll throw seven innings and give up one run and be mad he didn’t throw a complete game. I think that’s the role of an ace, the responsibility they take.”
Tanaka was good enough to make up for another sluggish effort from an offense that was even weaker without Teixeira.
Robertson finished the game to pick up his 12th save.
After being limited to one run by Ricky Nolasco on Friday, the Yankees again mustered just one run against Kevin Correia, who entered the game with a league-worst 6.34 ERA.
In six innings, Correia permitted just a solo home run by Yangervis Solarte in the fourth that tied the game at 1-1.
Tanaka held down the Twins until the Yankees scored again.
After grounding into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the first, McCann came through with a run-scoring double in the eighth.
Jacoby Ellsbury followed his one-out single with a stolen base and advanced to third when catcher Josmil Pinto’s throw got into center field. Brian Roberts, who pinch hit for Teixeira in the sixth, walked to bring up McCann and the catcher ripped his second double of the afternoon.