The LoHud Yankees Blog

Tonight
RHP A.J. Burnett (4-2, 3.38)
vs.
LHP David Price (5-3, 3.12)
6:40 p.m., YES Network

Tuesday
RHP Ivan Nova (3-3, 4.70)
vs.
RHP James Shields (4-1, 2.08)
6:40 p.m., MY9

Free agency is about more than money. It’s about years. A long-term contract means stability for a player.

It means commitment for a team.

For better or worse — for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health — the Yankees have committed themselves to some of the biggest names in baseball. Long-term contracts have become nearly unavoidable with the game’s superstars (it’s not only the Yankees who have signed longer-than-advisable deals to land the biggest names) and those long-term contracts create situations like the one the Yankees are experiencing with Jorge Posada.

“We’re a unique organization because we’ve been in a position to be able to retain some unbelievable legends for this franchise,” Brian Cashman said. “And you pay honor to that at all times, but we also have to honor the 2011 season or whatever season you’re playing, and that at times can conflict with what people have done in the past. You have to do what’s best for your team in the present, and sometimes that puts you in difficult circumstances, and then you have to deal with them the best you can, all parties involved.

“You don’t have a clear road map, so it can be very combustible, because you’re in a very large media market with a lot of people with a lot of pride, and sometimes job descriptions can conflict and create a situation that can get dicey at times.”

The past two days, Joe Girardi has been asked just how long he can stick with Posada — at any spot in the lineup — if he keeps hitting .165. Understandably, Girardi has deflected the question as something to be answered only if necessary.

Fair enough, but obviously it’s a question that will loom over this team as long as Posada struggles. And it’s a question that could continue to loom as other high-profile Yankees play into the later years of their long-term deals.

“The reality of it is, my job is to manage to win today,” Girardi said. “And I have to deal with that. And I try to show respect, and I try to show sensitivity and truly care about my players, and that’s the things that I have to balance, and that’s not always easy because players always think they can still do it at the same level or today’s going to be the day that it turns around for me. If they didn’t think that, they wouldn’t have been successful in their career, so that’s not always easy. And I’ve told my players on a number of occasions, I’m doing what I think is best at the time. I would never do anything to try to purposely hurt a player or to embarrass a player or to take playing (time).

“I’m doing what I think is the best at that time, and that’s what I’m hired to do.”

Associated Press photo

Every game is starting to feel the same for the Yankees. Fielding errors by the defense. Missed opportunities by the offense. Assorted mistakes scattered throughout. The Yankees have lost nine of their past 12, and they’ve matched their longest home losing streak since moving into the new Yankee Stadium.

“It seems like when things are going bad, they’re going bad,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s going to turn around. Every team in our division, you talk about Tampa, they went through it. The Red Sox have been through it and now we’ve been through it, and we need to turn it around.”

Hard to say what should bother the Yankees most at this point, but my guess is that the steady assortment of defensive mistakes are the most disturbing. Every team goes through hitting slumps — granted, this one is pretty extreme, but hitters know they’re going to go cold from time to time — but the defense should be fairly reliable.

Girardi said the passed ball off Russell Martin’s glove was a split that had some unusual movement — “That’s going to happen,” Girardi said — but Alex Rodriguez said his error at third base was as much mental as physical. He tried to rush the play, thinking he could get two, and let the ball go right past him.

“In hindsight, the right play was to just get the one out,” he said.

The defense has been bad, but the Yankees had just two hits tonight after Curtis Granderson’s go-ahead two-run home run in the second inning (Mark Teixeira singled and Rodriguez doubled). If the defensive mistakes are the most disturbing trend, the offensive struggles are certainly the most noticeable.

“We talk about thinking little,” Rodriguez said. “And it seems like Boston came in here and did exactly what we do to other teams. They’re keeping at-bats alive. They’re fouling off pitches. They’re battling, and then they get the big hit.”

The Yankees haven’t gotten a big hit in a long time.

Here’s Girardi.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• Rafael Soriano said he’s going to throw a bullpen tomorrow, and if that goes well he’ll be available on Wednesday at the earliest. Girardi seemed to indicate that the Yankees might have to make a move if Soriano’s elbow doesn’t improve. “There’s decisions that we have to make,” Girardi said. “Hopefully he’s available to us soon.”

• Phil Hughes threw 45 pitches from 90 feet today, continuing a day-by-day progression of more pitches from more distance. He’ll have Monday off before resuming his program on Tuesday.

• Freddy Garcia was kicking himself for going ahead 0-2 against Kevin Youkilis in the third inning but eventually giving up the game-tying home run. “I got the guy 0-2, I should get him out,” he said.

• Garcia broke David Ortiz’s bat in the fifth inning but Ortiz still hit the go-ahead homer to right field. “This ballpark, that’s the way they play,” Garcia said. “Nothing you can do about it.”

• Jorge Posada pinch hit in the eighth inning and drew a walk. Girardi said he would have used Posada with runners on base in the seventh inning, but Nick Swisher’s strikeout took away the opportunity.

• Brett Gardner on the bad bunt: “Frustrating. That’s a big part of my game and something I need to get done every time. I can work on it all I want to in practice and do it right 100 times out of 100, but when it comes time to do it in the game, I’ve got to be better at it.”

• Gardner said he was running on first move when he was picked off in the fourth.

• Rodriguez had his double tonight, but he also struck out twice. Just a few days ago he was talking about feeling better at the plate. “I thought so,” he said. “And then I ran into Beckett and Lester and that made me feel not so good.”

• Ten of the 13 runs Garcia has allowed as a starter have come on home runs. He lost to the Red Sox for the first time since 2002 when he was pitching for Seattle. He went nine starts without a loss against Boston.

• Andruw Jones hit his first home run since his first at-bat of the season.

• Granderson has five home runs in his past nine games. He now has six home runs off left-handed pitchers, his most ever in a single season.

• In case you missed it in the game post, the Yankees announced during the game that the team will not discipline Jorge Posada for not playing on Saturday night. Posada apologized to Brian Cashman, who passed word to ownership. “They have accepted his apology,” a team official said.

• Girardi on the fan response to Posada: “Jorge is loved in our clubhouse. Jorge is loved by the fans. Jorge has meant a lot to this organization. And I’m not surprised. This has been a great player for a long time.”

Associated Press photos

The Yankees took an early lead, then they fell into the same old pattern. Brett Gardner was caught stealing, Alex Rodriguez let a routine ground ball slip through his legs and the Yankees left six runners on base in the final five innings. The Red Sox had the big hits — Kevin Youkilis hit a homer to tie it, David Ortiz hit one to put them in the lead — and the Yankees lost 7-5. It was the Yankees fifth loss in a row, and their ninth loss in the past 12 games. They had not been swept by the Red Sox in a three-game series at home since April of 2004.

Associated Press photo

YANKEES (20-17)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Andruw Jones DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

RHP Freddy Garcia (2-2, 2.61)
Garcia vs. Red Sox

RED SOX (19-20)
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
David Ortiz DH
J.D. Drew RF
Jed Lowrie SS
Carl Crawford LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C

LHP Jon Lester (4-1, 2.96)
Lester vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 8:05 p.m., ESPN

WEATHER: The tarp came off the field about four hours ago, but it could be hit-or-miss with the rain all night.

UMPIRES: HP Mike Everitt, 1B Mark Wegner, 2B Chris Guccione, 3B Mike Winters

THE BEGINNING: Today is the 70th anniversary of the start of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. It began with a single off Eddie Smith at Yankee Stadium.

THE DAY AFTER: Since the start of the 2008 season, the Yankees are 18-6 in games immediately following a shutout.

THE REAL PROBLEM: The Yankees are 5-for-39 (.128) with runners in scoring position in the past four games, all of them losses.

THE NEXT MILESTONE: Alex Rodriguez is four runs from tying Paul Molitor for 17th place on baseball’s all-time list. Rodriguez has scored 1,778 times.

UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: Very, very cool. Tonight’s roll call included, “Jorge! Jorge! Jorge!” He waved from the dugout.

UPDATE, 8:22 p.m.: Posada met with Cashman before tonight’s game and the Yankees have announced that there will be no fine or other disciplinary measure taken against him.

Meanwhile… RBI single by Mark Teixeira has given the Yankee a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

UPDATE, 8:43 p.m.: The Yankees gave the Red Sox a run in the top of the second — what’s with Martin dropping the third strikes lately? — but they got it right back when Jones clubbed a solo homer to left. It’s 2-1, still with no outs in the bottom of the second.

UPDATE, 8:54 p.m.: Curtis Granderson is a new kind of hitter. That’s his 13th homer of the year — and yet another off a lefty — to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead.

UPDATE, 9:47 p.m.: A three-run home run by Kevin Youkilis tied the game in the third, now a solo shot — with two outs — by David Ortiz has given the Red Sox a 5-4 lead in the fifth.

UPDATE, 10:08 p.m.: Very nice diving/sliding catch by Gardner and a line drive grab by Rodriguez have gotten the Yankees through the top of the sixth — both outs credited to Boone Logan — still down 5-4. The lineup showed some early life, but it’s been MIA as usual the past three innings.

UPDATE, 10:36 p.m.: Of course that just happened. During this stretch, Rodriguez letting a potential double play ball — at the very least an easy out at third — slip through his legs was almost predictable. Ugly play to extend the Boston lead to 6-4.

UPDATE, 11:06 p.m.: On Friday, Bard went with a fastball up high to strikeout Swisher. Tonight he went with a fastball down low.

UPDATE, 11:15 p.m.: Jorge Posada pinch hitting to open the eighth. The crowd is going nuts.

There was something not-quite-right about Jorge Posada last night. He seemed divided, standing at his locker talking about a back injury that kept him out of the lineup (but wasn’t serious) while also repeatedly saying he needed to clear his mind (just a few hours after saying he was at peace with his struggles). He’s always been an emotional guy, but this was a guy who seemed uncertain about anything.

This afternoon, there was clarity.

“I did tweak my back a little bit,” Posada said. “And I took that as an excuse to tell you the truth. I just needed a day.”

It was the most reasonable, understandable thing anyone said about the situation in quite a while. I’m sure the Yankees don’t like hearing about a back injury as an excuse, but Posada’s a proud player. The Yankees understand that, and they understand a player like Posada — a guy with his career success and his recent struggles — might need a day to gather himself. Was it handled poorly? Probably. But today went a long way toward fixing that.

“One thing I told him is if he said he needed a day to clear his mind, there’s no need to apologize,” Derek Jeter said. “I think everybody understands that. Everyone here understands that sometimes this game can be tough on you mentally. Everybody’s struggled. Everybody’s been in a situation where things don’t seem to be clicking the right way. And if that’s the reason why he came out, then he doesn’t need to apologize… He’s like a brother. I mean, we’ve been together for a long time. If I thought he did something wrong, I’d be the first one to tell him.”

Joe Girardi said his conversation this afternoon was about, “being emotional and going through struggles and what defines who you are.” To some extent, Posada’s emotional response has always defined him. Maybe it flared up in a bad way yesterday. Nothing left to do but move on.

“Joe’s been on my side,” Posada said. “I think you’ve just got to understand, we’re trying to do something here that’s special, and it’s about the team now. It’s not about Jorge Posada. It’s not about Joe Girardi. I let some people down.”

He did that yesterday. Today Posada did what he could to pick up the pieces.

Here’s Posada.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Here’s Jeter.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

• Rafael Soriano probably won’t pitch tonight. Girardi said before the game that Soriano’s elbow was stiff last night, but it wasn’t the same sort of discomfort as before.

• It’s unclear whether Posada will be disciplined for refusing to play last night. “We’ve got everything going on today and then I’ll obviously talk to the people above me,” Brian Cashman said. “So I can’t answer that question right now, but when I talk to Hal Steinbrenner I’ll get some direction from him on everything after I fill him in on everything.”

• Girardi said last night’s situation with Posada had nothing to do with the decision to keep him out of the lineup tonight. Posada has not hit lefties at all this season. Literally, not at all. “The lineup I had made up today was made up today was made up like two days ago in my mind, so I didn’t really change that,” Girardi said.

• Seems entirely possible that Posada won’t play tomorrow against David Price either.

• Phil Hughes almost certainly did some throwing today, but I only saw him briefly and Girardi said he wasn’t sure what exactly Hughes did today.

• Still no player move to report. Amauri Sanit is still here and the Yankees are still carrying eight pitchers. They might have to do that because of the uncertain situation with Soriano.

RED SOX
Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Adrian Gonzalez 1B
Kevin Youkilis 3B
David Ortiz DH
J.D. Drew RF
Jed Lowrie SS
Carl Crawford LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia C

Associated Press photo

The day after, Jorge Posada handled the whole situation about as well as he could have. I’ll have more when I get upstairs, but here’s Posada’s opening comment when reporters gathered around his locker.

“I just talked to Girardi, and I kind of apologized to him. Just had a bad day. Had a bad day yesterday. Reflecting on it and stuff, everything, all the frustration just came out.”

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Andruw Jones DH
Russell Martin C
Brett Gardner LF

Things are looking up here at Yankee Stadium where the tarp just came off the field. Surely this is a sign that we’ll have a routine game with no off-the-field drama or late-inning controversy. Right?

Before last night’s game — when the only controversy was Jorge Posada’s spot in the order — Joe Girardi was asked whether Posada would remain the Yankees designated hitters against left-handed pitchers.

“I’ll worry about that as we get to left-handed pitchers in the next few days,” Girardi said.

The Yankees get to a left-handed pitcher tonight when they face Jon Lester. There was no commitment to Posada before yesterday’s game, and there was certainly no commitment to him after yesterday’s game.

If Posada’s not the Yankees starting designated hitter tonight, it might very well have more to do with the past month and a half than the past 24 hours.

Posada doesn’t have a single hit against a lefty this season. He’s 0-for-24.

Andruw Jones hasn’t been good this year, but he’s been better than that. Nick Swisher is 12-for-30 (a .400 average) against lefties this season, and the other two outfielders might be the hottest hitters in the Yankees lineup. Right now, those four seem to be better options against a left-hander than Posada.

I have no idea whether Posada will be in the lineup tonight — whether he’s in or out, he will almost certainly remain the biggest story of the night — but if Posada’s held out of tonight’s lineup, I’m not sure it will be because of a new issue. It will more likely be because of the same old issue that led to this mess in the first place.