The LoHud Yankees Blog

After the game, Joe Girardi said Nick Johnson’s back is a little more stiff than expected. Girardi indicated that Johnson thought it would loosen after some time in the whirlpool but that didn’t happen.

The Yankees now expect Johnson to miss tomorrow’s game. Monday’s scheduled off day will gives him an addition day of rest.

“I expect him back on Tuesday,” Girardi said.

Johnson said he’s not concerned about this becoming a long-term problem.

An impressive first month just keeps getting better for Andy Pettitte. The veteran lefty had his best outing of the year this afternoon in Anaheim, shutting down the Angels for a 7-1 win that snapped a modest two-game losing streak for the Yankees. Pettitte struck out out, walked none and allowed just one run through eight innings. Robinson Cano had four hits, Brett Gardner had three and Francisco Cervelli had a key two-run single when the game was still close in the fourth.

Associated Press photo.

YANKEES (11-5)
Derek Jeter SS
Brett Gardner LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Ramiro Pena 3B
Francisco Cervelli C

LHP Andy Pettitte (2-0, 1.35)
Career vs. Angels

ANGELS (9-9)
Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Howie Kendrick 2B
Mike Napoli 2B
Brandon Wood 3B

Joel Pineiro (2-1, 1.77)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 4:05 p.m./FOX

UMPIRES: HP Bob Davidson, 1B Alfonso Marquez, 2B Tim Timmons, 3B Tim Tschida

WEATHER: Another beautiful day in L.A. Blue sky with temperatures in the high 60s.

TWO AWAY: Alex Rodriguez needs two stolen bases to reach 300 for his career. He will become the ninth player in baseball history with at least 1,500 runs, 2,500 hits, 200 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He would also become one of 16 players to reach 200 homers, 300 stolen bases and 2,000 hits, joining Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter — each of whom has worn pinstripes — as the only active players to reach those totals.

ONE AWAY: After his double last night, Derek Jeter is one away from tying Don Mattingly for third place on the Yankees all-time doubles list with 442.

MAN DOWN: The Angels placed catcher Bobby Wilson on the disabled list with a concussion and a strained left ankle. Catcher Ryan Budde was called up from Triple-A. With Wilson and Jeff Mathis on the DL, the Angels have two disabled catchers for the first time since the Molina brothers were both hurt in 2001.

UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: And the aggressive play continues with Gardner going hard into second to try to break up the double play.

UPDATE, 4:33 p.m.: Another big hit for Swisher, driving in Cano and giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

UPDATE, 4:41 p.m.: That’s a nice play by Jeter to get the out at second when he had no shot at first. Maybe it’s not a “plus” play, but doing the right thing and going to the right base make a difference.

UPDATE, 4:43 p.m.: Now that’s a plus play. Great grab by Pena, just don’t tell the Angels fan who just yelled, “You’re lucky A-Rod!”

UPDATE, 4:54 p.m.: Very nice play by Howie Kendrick, sticking with it to get the out from shallow right field. Still 1-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 5:20 p.m.: I know that statistically there’s no such thing as clutch hitters, and I realize that Francisco Cervelli’s numbers might come back down to earth at some point, but so far the guy has really shown a knack for getting hits when they matter. His minor league numbers don’t suggest anything like this, but the guy has been a productive hitter as a reserve big leaguer. That two-run single might very well be the key hit in this game.

UPDATE, 5:23 p.m.: Add an RBI single from Jeter and it’s 4-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 5:32 p.m.: It’s fun to watch Gardner find that extra gear. When he got to first I wasn’t positive he could get a triple, but as he hit second there was no doubt. His strides seemed to be longer and he was just flying at that point.

UPDATE, 5:38 p.m.: Two outs. Runner in scoring position. Robinson Cano singles to right. It really is a new year for the Yankees second baseman. It’s also a 5-0 lead for the Yankees.

UPDATE, 5:44 p.m.: Nick Swisher adds another RBI single and it’s now 6-0 Yankees. Meanwhile, the Angels just announced that X-rays on Bobby Wilson were inconclusive because of excessive swelling in his ankle. The team is planning to send him for an MRI on Monday.

UPDATE, 6:07 p.m.: The Angels have a run on a double and two fly balls, but Andy Pettitte remains in charge of this game. What a season he’s having so far.

UPDATE, 6:16 p.m.: Brett Gardner has his third hit of the day, ninth steal of the season and he’s just scored to give the Yankees a 7-1 lead.

UPDATE, 6:49 p.m.: With Pettitte at 114 pitches, I have to assume that was his last batter. Eight innings, one run, eight strikeouts and no walks. The guy was dealing today, no doubt about it.

There were a few factors that went into Joe Girardi’s lineup decision this morning in Anaheim.

1. Day game after a night game eliminated Jorge Posada starting behind the plate.

2. Girardi wanted to give Alex Rodriguez a day at DH, and Rodriguez told him today would be a good day to do it.

3. Nick Johnson’s lower back is a little stiff after taking extra batting practice yesterday.

“I’ve had a back issue,” Girardi said. “A little stiff can become a lot of stiff. Let’s keep it a little stiff, but I expect him to be fine. I expect him to be available.”

Mostly, Girardi said, his decision to sit Johnson had more to do with wanting to give Rodriguez a half day off with his first start at DH.

“I think it’s important that Alex gets a DH day,” Girardi said. “He’s swinging the bat so well right now that you hate to give him a full day off.”

Here’s Girardi’s pregame session.

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• Girardi admitted that he would have considered dropping Johnson in the batting order had his regular DH been in the lineup. “We might have dropped him down, we might have left him there,” Girardi said. Assuming Johnson starts tomorrow, Girardi said it’s possible he will not be in the No. 2 hole.

• Girardi said he talked to Johnson about his struggles and Johnson said he went through a similar slump last year. “I said, ‘How do you handle it?’ And he said, ‘Sometimes I become a little more aggressive.’ There was a point last year where he said he became too aggressive, so it’s a fine line. When you’re struggling as a hitter, I think hitters get in a hurry to get going. You don’t want them to become overly aggressive. The bottom line is, you have to get a good pitch to hit.”

• Still haven’t heard anything about the extent of Angels catcher Bobby Wilson’s injuries after last night’s collision at home plate, but Girardi once again said he had no problem with the play. He also had no problem with the fact Teixeira went straight to the dugout without checking on Wilson immediately after the play. “We’re playing for something,” Girardi said. “This isn’t a family reunion softball game.”

• By the way, Girardi said Angels manager Mike Scioscia’s reputation as a catcher was as a guy who would do anything to block the plate. “He used to basically sit on the plate and say come on, I dare you,” Girardi said. “He was tough. He dropped down on both knees and said, go ahead and try.”

• Speaking of tough, you probably remember how good Joel Pineiro was against the Yankees the last time he faced them. Girardi said the key is to lay off the low sinkers. “If the ball starts just above the knee, it’s not going to be a strike,” he said. “But that’s easier said than done when it’s coming in at 90 miles per hour and it’s sharp and late, but you do your best to lay off it.”

• Girardi is very excited that the Northwestern quarterback was drafted.

• Random but hilarious pregame moment: Ramiro Pena got to his locker to find a huge Yankees hoodie hanging among his clothes. It was either put there by accident or as a joke, but regardless, Pena took one look at it and walked across the clubhouse to CC Sabathia’s locker. “CC, is this yours?” Pena said. It was.

Angels lineup
Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Howie Kendrick 2B
Mike Napoli 2B
Brandon Wood 3B

Associated Press photo

Nick Johnson and Jorge Posada have the day off. Alex Rodriguez has a half day off, getting his first DH start.

Derek Jeter SS
Brett Gardner LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Curtis Granderson CF
Ramiro Pena 3B
Francisco Cervelli C

LHP Andy Pettitte

After a late night at the ball park last night, the Yankees have a late arrival in Anaheim this morning. Word is that there will be no batting practice and Joe Girardi isn’t even meeting with the media until 11 a.m. local time.

It’s a day game after a night game, so you’ll probably see Francisco Cervelli in the lineup. It will be his fourth start, but his first with anyone other than CC Sabathia.

“It’s not one guy catching one guy,” Girardi said. “That’s just the way it’s worked out lately.”

UPDATE, 10:11 a.m.: Dumb and Dumber playing in the clubhouse with Sabathia, Winn and Burnett watching. As far as I can tell, those are the only players in the house.

UPDATE, 10:16 a.m.: As soon as I wrote the previous update, the credits started to roll on the movie and the bus arrived at the stadium. It’s suddenly pretty much a full house.

Anyone out there ever had a running game story written for a West Coast baseball game only to have your computer lose the entire file in the ninth inning? Trust me when I tell you it’s not a fun experience.

Then again, I have to assume it’s also no fun being run over by Mark Teixeira. Here’s his take on the third-inning collision that sent Bobby Wilson to the hospital.

“As soon as I came around third I picked up (Jorge Posada) who was telling me to slide,” Teixeira said. “It was going to be a close play. I saw he was on the plate, but I saw he didn’t have the ball yet, so I started to get down and make my slide. As soon as he turned toward me, I figured he had the ball and in that instance, the only choice that I have is to lower my shoulder and try to knock the ball loose.”

Turns out, Wilson didn’t have the ball. He’d started to turn before the ball got there and the result was viscous. Wilson has a concussion and was sent to for x-rays and a CT scan. His ankle took a beating through all of the chaos.

Both managers, though, called it a clean play, and it turns out Wilson and Teixeira were teammates with the Angels back in 2008 when Wilson was a September call-up. Teixeira had talked to him before the game and wished him luck. It was Wilson’s first major league start.

“You never wan tot hurt anybody,” Teixeira said. “You just want to knock the ball loose. I’ve run into a dozen catchers in my career. Unfortunatly, this is the first one that’s gotten hurt.”

Here’s Teixeira talking after the game.

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• Kendry Morales was already 4-for-6 in his career against Joba Chamberlain, but Joe Girardi said he dismissed those numbers because five of the at-bats came when Chamberlain was working as a starter.

• As for the home run pitch, Chamberlain said it was supposed to be a slider in, but it didn’t have its usual late break. “You can’t throw any breaking balls for a strike to him,” Chamberlain said. “It started where we wanted, it just didn’t get there.”

• Bad bunt attempt by Brett Gardner in the sixth inning. Gardner said it was a pitch up, which explains why he couldn’t get it down. He should have let it go for a ball. “He was bunting for a hit,” Girardi said. “Problem was, the pitch was up.”

• Girardi on whether Teixeira should have taken a different approach on the play at the plate: “You don’t want the runner going in gingerly because that’s how they get hurt.”

• A.J. Burnett said too many fastballs ran back over the middle of the plate tonight. “I was overthrowing,” he said. He was also disappointed in his curveball, which he graded as a D- so far this season.

• Burnett did throw a handful of changeups, including the pitch that Hideki Matsui grounded for a double play.

• Four players were hit by a pitch this game, two Yankees and two Angels.

Associated Press photos

YANKEES (11-4)
Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF

RHP A.J. Burnett (2-0, 2.37)
Career vs. Angels

ANGELS (8-9)
Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Maicer Izturis 3B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Bobby Wilson C

RHP Ervin Santana (1-2, 4.35)
Career vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 10:05 p.m./YES Network

UMPIRES: HP Tim Tschida, 1B Bob Davidson, 2B Alfonso Marquez, 3B Tim Timmons

WEATHER: What can I say? It’s beautiful here. Sunny blue sky, temperature in the 60s. Back in Scranton, my friend Laura is terribly upset with me that I didn’t go to the beach today. Seriously. She yelled at me via text message.

GOOD HITTIN’: Derek Jeter has owned Ervin Santana. Through 27 at-bats, Jeter has a .444 average with a .516 on-base percentage and an .815 slugging. He’s homered three times off the Angels starter.

BACK AGAIN: When Marcus Thames homered yesterday, it was his first of the season and his second as a Yankee. he also homered for New York on June 10, 2002, a span of seven years, 316 days between Yankees homers. It’s the longest such stretch since Jack Quinn homered on September 11, 1911 and again on May 15, 1920.

MILESTONES IN REACH: Derek Jeter needs two doubles to tie Don Mattingly for third place on the Yankees all-time doubles list… Jorge Posada needs four home runs to reach 250 for his career. That would move him into a tie with Graig Nettles for the seventh most in Yankees history… Mariano Rivera needs two strikeouts to tie Roger Clemens for 10th place on the Yankees all-time strikeouts list… Alex Rodriguez needs one home run to tie Frank Robinson for the seventh most home runs ever hit in baseball.

UPDATE, 10:15 p.m.: Mark Teixeira shatters a bat and sends the ball flying toward Mick Kelleher, all in one swing. Then he flies out.

UPDATE, 10:23 p.m.: I’m not sure Erick Aybar understands the rules of baseball. Burnett wasn’t close to beginning his delivery and Aybar was already trying to steal second. That’s an easy out.

UPDATE, 10:31 p.m.: Not sure what the right play would have been at first. There was no one on the bag when Teixeira got the ball, but he clearly didn’t have time to run over there himself. Angels lead it 1-0.

UPDATE, 10:57 p.m.: Back to back doubles from Gardner and Jeter have tied the game. Both went to the opposite field.

UPDATE, 11:01 p.m.: Nick Johnson’s struggles continue, meanwhile the fans here in Anaheim really don’t like Mark Teixeira.

UPDATE, 11:06 p.m.: Good gracious! That’s a whole lot of Mark Teixeira going right through Bobby Wilson. Mike Napoli is in the game. Wilson seemed to have hurt his ankle, though it was clearly a clean play by Teixeira. Yankees up 3-1. Yowza.

UPDATE, 11:15 p.m.: All sorts of collisions for Teixeira tonight. Rodriguez was given an error on that play, allowing the runner to advance from second to third.

UPDATE, 11:19 p.m.: This just feels like one of those games. We might have a wild one here tonight. It’s now 3-3 in the bottom of the third.

UPDATE, 11:24 p.m.: Wilson is heading to a hospital for a CT scan and x-rays. So far, the Angels are only saying he has a concussion and a left ankle injury. Tonight was the poor guy’s first career start.

UPDATE, 11:28 p.m.: The Angels had a 4-3 lead briefly, then Nick Swisher went deep to center to tie it up again. Like I said a few minutes ago, this feels like a wild one.

UPDATE, 11:31 p.m.: Back to back singles by Jeter and (no kidding) Johnson have brought Teixeira to the plate. Remember when I said this crowd really doesn’t like him? Well now this crowd really, really doesn’t like him.

UPDATE, 11:34 p.m.: Ladies and gentlemen, the comic gold of Sweeny Murti.

UPDATE, 11:38 p.m.: Aceves is up in the Yankees bullpen. Just a matter of time.

UPDATE, 12:05 a.m.: Home plate in Anaheim is the most dangerous place in baseball tonight.

UPDATE, 12:06 a.m.: Oh boy. Not a good one for Gardner.

UPDATE, 12:11 a.m.: Associated Press picture of the moment before the big home plate collision.

UPDATE, 12:18 a.m.: Now Boone Logan is warming for the Yankees. It’s fairly shocking that Burnett has lasted this long.

UPDATE, 12:37 a.m.: Seriously, three innings ago, who would have believed me if I wrote that A.J. Burnett would still be in the game in the seventh inning?

UPDATE, 12:44 a.m.: Here comes Robertson. Great job by Burnett to get his night turned around. Meanwhile, I don’t know how anyone can resist the Rally Monkey. He cracks me up.

UPDATE, 12:45 a.m.: Pretty big fist pump from Posada after throwing out Abreu trying to steal second. That’s a big out with the heart of the order at the plate.

UPDATE, 1:08 a.m.: Two-run  homer of Joba Chamberlain. That’s not going to help matters. It’s now 6-4 Angels in the eighth.

Chan Ho Park’s hamstring injury is still bothering him, and the Yankees no longer believe he’ll be ready to come off the disabled list when his 15 days are over.

“He says it’s still somewhat tight,” manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s not sore or painful, it’s just somewhat tight, and if you push him too much while it’s tight you might re-injure it.”

Park will try to do long toss on Sunday, then he will go to the Yankees complex in Tampa on Monday. He’ll try to do long toss again on Monday and hopes to pitch off flat ground on Tuesday. “Then we’ll see where we’re at,” Girardi said.

It’s likely Park will pitch at least once on a rehab assignment, possibly with Class-A Tampa. Girardi said he would want to give Park a “competitive inning” before bringing him back to New York, but it doesn’t matter what level that inning occurs.

• Nick Johnson took extra batting practice this afternoon, and Girardi decided to stick with him against Ervin Santana, against whom Johnson is 2-for-4 with a home run and three walks. “At times you’re going to be in slumps,” Girardi said. “He’s had success against Santana so I’m throwing him right back in there.”

• No surprise, Alex Rodriguez’s run-in with Dallas Braden was again a topic of discussion this afternoon. “I have no problem with what Alex did,” Girardi said. CC Sabathia said it wouldn’t bother him if a player ran across the mound, and Mark Teixeira said he’s never heard of such an unwritten rule. “Once we heard his comments, we’ve been laughing about it ever since,” Teixeira said.

• Interestingly, Girardi said he puts no stock into most of baseball’s unwritten rules. Bunting to break up a not hitter. Stealing late in a five-run game. Stealing signs from a catcher. He said all of those are fair game. “I think in today’s game, you take every advantage you can get,” he said. Not throwing at hitters above the shoulders, Girardi said, is the one that he takes seriously. He also thinks it’s poor sportsmanship to swing at a 3-0 pitch with a huge lead.

• Someone asked about the impact of losing Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui from the clubhouse. “The overall personality (of the team) hasn’t changed that much,” Girardi said.

• Girardi said in Oakland that Jorge Posada will get one game off during this Anaheim series, and logic dictates that it will be tomorrow for a day game after a night game. That means Francisco Cervelli will likely catch someone other than CC Sabathia for the first time this season.

• Jeff Mathis, who has caused some problems for the Yankees in the past, is on the Angels disabled list.

The Angels lineup:

Erick Aybar SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Hideki Matsui DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Maicer Izturis 3B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Bobby Wilson C

RHP Ervin Santana

UPDATE, 8:15 p.m.: Marc Carig might have the quote of the day concerning Dallas Braden’s mound ownership issue: “It ain’t like he brought it from home,” Derek Jeter said.

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Johnson DH
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada C
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner LF

RHP A.J. Burnett