DUNEDIN, Fla. – Joe Girardi hasn’t announced his rotation for the season yet, but because Chien-Ming Wang, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte and Joba Chamberlain are following ace CC Sabathia to start the spring, it’s safe to assume Girardi will open the season that way.
That means Burnett, who cost the Yankees $82.5 million, is the No. 3 starter and lines up Chamberlain to open the new Yankee Stadium on April 16.
“I talked to him and he said he would take the ball any time,” Joe Girardi said of Burnett.
Since Chamberlain would work on April 11, he would be in line to start April 16 against the Indians at the Stadium.
“I don’t want to give that to you yet because there is a lot of things that can change in spring training,” Girardi said of which pitcher will draw the prestigious Stadium opener.
As for Chamberlain and his innings count, Girardi said he will be aware of the work load and has devised a plan in which Chamberlain makes 30 starts, as opposed to the regular 32 or 33 a healthy starter makes.
“Obviously he has innings limitations,” said Girardi, who won’t divulge the number that is believed to be around 150 frames.
One way of protecting Chamberlain, who worked 1001/3 innings last year when 12 of his 42 outings were as a starter, is to pull him in games the Yankees have a big lead in the middle innings. It’s something the Yankees will look at, Girardi said.
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According to trainer Gene Monahan, as relayed by Girardi, next week Mariano Rivera will throw from a bullpen mound and Hideki Matsui may be ready for DH duty. Rivera, who is coming back from shoulder surgery, has been limited to throwing on flat ground. Matsui’s surgically repaired right knee is being strengthened by a running program that started Monday.
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Brett Gardner fired the first bullet in the center-field competition when he hit the second pitch of yesterday’s game over the right-field fence off lefty Brett Cecil. Gardner is competing with Melky Cabrera, who has more big league experience and the benefit of being out of options.
“You can’t put a lot of pressure on yourself, obviously I know what’s at stake,” said Gardner, who has nine minor league homers in 1,456 at-bats. “I want to prove to them I belong at the big league level.”
Gardner batted .228 in 42 big league games a year ago.
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Brett Tomko made an early bid for the long reliever spot open in the bullpen by throwing two scoreless innings yesterday against the Blue Jays.