Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Alex Rodriguez felt better yesterday, but was not well enough to play yet.
Rodriguez sat out his second consecutive game with tendinitis in his right hip flexor.
“We’ll evaluate him day-to-day and we’ll put him in when we think he’s ready,” Girardi said. “It’s good to hear he felt better today. That’s encouraging to me.”
Rodriguez was in the dugout for the first few innings of yesterday’s 9-3 win over the Astros, but did not speak with reporters before or after the game. Girardi said he came to the Stadium yesterday expecting Rodriguez not to start.
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Robinson Cano fouled a ball off the bottom of his right leg in the seventh inning and was limping noticeably afterward. The ball hit the bone just behind his shin, but Cano stayed in the game and said he will be fine.
“It hit me right in the bone,” Cano said. “It swelled a little bit, but I’ll be all right. I’ll be ready [today].”
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Jorge Posada is ready to catch for the first time since May 16, when he broke a bone in his right foot. Posada hit his 250th career home run yesterday, a third-inning grand slam. He is tied with Graig Nettles for seventh place in franchise history.
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Marcus Thames left the game after the fourth inning with a strained right hamstring. He had an MRI exam that showed no serious damage. It was unclear when Thames hurt the leg.
Brett Gardner replaced Thames in left field, his first outfield action since spraining his left thumb Tuesday. He went 0-for-2 and should start in left field today.
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Curtis Granderson said the outfield at Yankee Stadium is in bad shape after last weekend’s boxing event. Granderson said the dead spots extend from left-center to right-center. The outfield is flattened and there are some dirt patches that will make the ball move faster.
“You can’t be as aggressive charging balls because they’ll go right by you,” Granderson said.
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With Javier Vazquez recording the victory, the Yankees now have five pitchers with at least six wins. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last time that happened within the team’s first 62 games was 1939.