The LoHud Yankees Blog

1. Gardner LF
2. Jeter SS
3. Granderson CF
4. Teixeira 1B
5. Cano 2B
6. Swisher RF
7. Chavez 3B
8. Posada DH
9. Martin C
Hughes P

The waiver-deal deadline is Aug. 31. But Brian Cashman, who stood pat at the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, isn’t counting on outside help coming now for the Yankees, either.

“I think … what you see is what you’re going to get,” Cashman said. “It doesn’t guarantee that there won’t be some changes. I highly doubt it. It’s not likely you’re going to see anything between now and Aug. 31 because of the waivers, guys not clearing.”

Maybe they will look in-house and see if Manuel Banuelos can help out of the bullpen before the season is out since they already have too many starters right now. Or maybe they can give him a taste of things here. The 20-year-old lefty is 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts since being promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He took the loss at Syracuse Friday, allowing three runs, six hits and four walks and striking out three over 5 2/3. He left trailing 3-1 and the final was 7-4.

And what about Jesus Montero? The 21-year-old righty-hitting catcher is batting .283 with 13 homers and 55 RBI in 96 games. He went 2 for 5 with a solo homer Friday. He’s at .289 with three homers and five RBI over his last 10 games.

Now the Yankees’ two most reliable pitchers are struggling, CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera.

Sabathia gave up a franchise-record-tying five homers and a season-high-tying 10 hits in the 5-1 loss to the Rays.

“It’s a humbling sport,” Sabathia said. “Today was definitely humbling.”

Last time out, he gave up a season-worst seven runs in a 10-4 loss at Fenway. And the time before that, he only gave up two runs over eight, but he also allowed 10 hits in a 3-2 win over the White Sox. The fastball command has been faulty of late. Four of the homers came off fastballs. He’s up to 190 2/3 innings, but Joe Girardi said his fastball was still humming at 96, 97. So the manager doesn’t think it’s fatigue.

“I just think players go through this,” Girardi said. “If this game was easy, there would be a lot of more big-league players and a lot more teams.”

Rivera just got to watch the game after three straight off outings this week.

“Mo’s a victim of his own success,” Mark Teixeira said. “This guy has been lights-out, automatic for 15-plus years, and so if he has a bad week, the bells start going off. That’s the world that he’s created.”

“Hopefully, we can get back on track,” said Sabathia, who has lost consecutive starts for only the third time since joining the Yankees for the 2009 season.

Meanwhile, the Yankees couldn’t get on track against David Price, who allowed just the run and six hits over eight. He mixed his pitches and hit his spots.

“They weren’t getting really good swings out there tonight,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “David had good command of his off-speed pitches.”

 *Alex Rodriguez’s rehab assignment began well – first swing, home run. He went 2 for 3 with the solo shot and an RBI double for Single-A Tampa at Dunedin, working as the DH until leaving for a pinch hitter in the seventh. Saturday night at Dunedin, he will play about half the game at third. There’s a chance he will be playing at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Tuesday night and Wednesday night, according to Brian Cashman.

*Saturday’s starters are Phil Hughes and Jeremy Hellickson. Derek Jeter will be honored for his 3,000 accomplishment prior to the 4:10 game. The gates will open at 2, and fans are encouraged to be parked in their seats at 3:45.

Yankees lineup
1. Derek Jeter SS
2. Curtis Granderson CF
3. Mark Teixeira 1B
4. Robinson Cano 2B
5. Nick Swisher DH
6. Andruw Jones RF
7. Russell Martin C
8. Eduardo Nunez 3B
9. Brett Gardner LF
CC Sabathia LHP

Rays lineup
1. Desmond Jennings LF
2. Johnny Damon DH
3. Evan Longoria 3B
4. Ben Zobrist RF
5. B.J. Upton CF
6. Sean Rodriguez 2B
7. Casey Kotchman 1B
8. Kelly Shoppach C
9. Elliot Johnson SS
David Price LHP

Time/TV: 7:08/YES
Weather: Clear, 80
Umpires: Phil Cuzzi HP, Tom Hallion 1B, Bill Miller 2B, James Hoye 3B

Vs. Lefties: The Yankees are 25-9 vs. lefty starters, winning seven straight.

Update, 7:14: Sabathia has a 1-2-3 first. Meanwhile, A-Rod homers for Single-A Tampa in his first rehab at-bat at Dunedin.

Update, 7:18: Price gives up a single to Jeter in the first at-bat of their rematch from the 3,000 game. But Jeter is stranded at second.

Update, 7:25: Two perfect innings for Sabathia.

Update, 7:33: 1-2-3 second for Price, with two Ks.

Update, 7:37: Casey Kotchman reaches the second deck in right, 1-0 Tampa Bay.

Update, 7:41: Well, that was some shot by Kelly Shoppach to the left-center bleachers, just to the left of the bullpen. Back-to-back homers.

Update, 7:42: RBI double for A-Rod in his second at-bat. Maybe he doesn’t need four rehab games.

Update, 7:46: Damon homers to right, three homers in the inning. Good thing Sabathia isn’t pitching for his spot in the rotation.

Update, 7:55: Price gets Jeter to bounce into an inning-ending double play in the third, not quite revenge for giving up No. 3,000.

Update, 8:15: RBI double for Andruw Jones, but Swisher is out at the plate, 3-1 after four.

Update, 8:18: Elliot Johnson leads off with a homer, fourth of the game for the Rays. A career high for homers allowed in a single game for CC.  It’s 4-1.

Update, 8:31: 4-1 after five. Second 1-2-3 inning for Price.

Update, 8:34: A-Rod struck out in his third at-bat.

Update, 8:55: Four hits for the Yankees after six against Price.

Update, 8:57: Rather good inning for Russell Martin, sliding, rolling catch on a foul ball and throwing out Johnson trying to steal.

Update, 9:08: Heading for the eighth, 4-1. Only five hits for the Yankees after Swisher’s leadoff single led to nothing.

Update, 9:11: Five solo homers allowed by Sabathia. Longeria flies one to the Yankees’ bullpen.

Update, 9:24: Sabathia is done. Ayala will take the ball for the ninth. Price has thrown 114 pitches through eighth, one run, six hits allowed.

Update, 9:41: Joel Peralta will try to close it out.

Update, 9:46: The Yankees announced they’re having a ceremony to honor Jeter for getting 3,000 hits. It will be prior to Saturday’s game. Fans are requested to be in their seats at 3:45.

Update, 9:50: Yankees lose, 5-1.

Brian Cashman just gave an impassioned defense of A.J. Burnett, saying the public outcry over the quality of his pitching doesn’t match the reality of how he has pitched and that it’s being fueled because of Burnett’s $82.5 million contract.

 ”We’ve got six guys who are capable of pitching in a rotation in a pennant race,” Cashman said. ”That’s a good thing. Someone is going to have to go and we’re going to make that decision. But this stuff about A.J. Burnett is worthy of being ripped from the rotation is a bunch of crap.”

Cashman said Burnett, who is winless in his last seven starts, can still help as a starter.

“I think he’s being treated differently publicly because he has money attached,” Cashman said. “So forgive him for saying yes to the contract. If you want to blame somebody for his contract, blame me.

“But the man can still pitch. The man is a starter. He can still help us significantly.”

The GM will be in on the rotation decision with Girardi. Does this sound good for Hughes’ chance to stay in the rotation considering how well Ivan Nova has been pitching? We’ll see the outcome of all this soon enough.

The day after Mariano Rivera’s third straight outing in which he allowed at least one run – and this time it was a three-run homer – Joe Girardi was warning against thinking this is the beginning of the end for the 41-year-old closer.

“I think people, when players are older, are always looking for a sign,” Girardi said. “There are too many times when that sign is not there yet, but they’re looking hard for it. As I said about Derek (Jeter) when he was going through a little bit of struggle, I wouldn’t bet against him. And lo and behold, he gets hot. He’s been playing extremely well.

“(Rivera) has had a couple of days in a row where he has given up runs. I remember in 2009, he kind of got off to that slow start and people were saying, ‘Is this the beginning of the end?’ And let’s not forget, I think he threw two innings in Game 6 against the Phillies. He might have given us five outs against the Angels.

“I wouldn’t be too quick to jump to conclusions.”  

Rivera has given up an extra-base hit in a career-high-tying three straight games, allowing a homer in each of the last two.

“Great hitters go in slumps and you say, ‘Wow, can you believe this guy is in a slump this long?’ ” Girardi said. “It’s just the game of baseball. Mo has been so close to being automatic that when he has a blip, it’s more of a news story than somebody else.”

Girardi doesn’t see any mechanical failure.

“He looks to me the same as he’s looked for years,” Girardi said.

So what would be a bad sign? 

“I think if he got in a lot of three-ball counts,” Girardi said. “If he starts walking people or starts really getting behind people and not having the ability to throw strikes, I would say something was really off. But we’re not seeing that. We’re seeing him throw strikes. We’re seeing him miss a little bit and guys are hitting him.”  

*Phil Hughes gets the ball tomorrow against the Rays, standing on the mound and presumably the bubble, because the rotation is about to be hacked from six to five. A.J. Burnett is presumably standing on the bubble with him. But he doesn’t have another start before a decision is made. Freddy Garcia is Sunday’s scheduled starter.

“Our idea is to pare things down, but you wait to see what happens tomorrow; you wait to see what happens Sunday,” Girardi said. “I don’t really have to make a decision until Monday. We can prepare guys to start, but I don’t have to make a decision. I’m more worried about tonight.”    

Tonight CC Sabathia will try to bounce back against Tampa Bay after allowing a season-high seven runs against the Red Sox.

“Whether it’s in a bounce-back (game) or not a bounce-back, I expect him to be really good,” Girardi said.

There will also be a rematch between Jeter and David Price, who served up that homer for his 3,000th hit here on July 9.

“It was a special day right before the All-Star break when Jete and Price matched up,” Girardi said. “It ended up being a great day for our club as well, a 5-4 win.”

1. Jeter SS
2. Granderson CF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Cano 2B
5. Swisher DH
6. Jones RF
7. Martin C
8. Nunez 3B
9. Gardner LF
Sabathia P

Tonight
LHP CC Sabathia (16-6, 2.81)
vs.
LHP David Price (9-10, 3.89)
7:05 p.m., YES Network

Saturday
RHP Phil Hughes (2-4, 7.11)
vs.
RHP Jeremy Hellickson (10-7, 3.05)
4:10 p.m., FOX

Sunday
RHP Freddy Garcia (10-7, 3.16)
vs.
RHP James Shields (11-9, 2.80)
1:05 p.m., YES Network / TBS

Robinson Cano hit the difference-making grand slam for the Yankees in Thursday’s 6-5 win against the Angels. The Home Run Derby champ is up to 20 homers, becoming the only player besides Joe Gordon in franchise history to launch at least 20 as a second baseman in three straight seasons.

It was Cano’s 10th homer with two outs this season and seventh tiebreaker. He has homered in the last two games and in four of the last eight. His average is up to .303 and he has driven in 81 runs.

And yet he isn’t satisfied with his year so far, not after hitting .342 in 2006, .320 in 2009 and .319 last year. He feels he hasn’t been as consistent this season. 

“I can do better,” Cano said. “… After you’ve been up here in the past over .300, like .320, .330, you know you’re capable of doing that. So that’s where you want to be. When you go back to .290, .280, .290, you know you’re capable that you can be .330. But not every year is going to be the same. Those are the kind of things that are going to make me a better player.”

Cano admitted he hasn’t been as selective this season.

“I have been chasing a lot of pitches, not like I was last year,” he said.

Mariano Rivera is throwing potential red flags these days. This marked his third straight bad outing. He gave up at least one extra-base hit in all three, tying the worst streak of his career. Rivera said he couldn’t care less that he still tied Trevor Hoffman’s all-time record of at least 30 saves in 14 straight seasons.  

“As long as I do my job, that’s what I want, and lately I haven’t done it,” Rivera said. “It won’t make me and it won’t break me. But games like this get me upset because I’m not doing what I should be doing.”

Is he just in a little lull or is he finally acting his age? He has five blown saves, two losses and a 2.40 ERA. Rivera said he feels fine physically and that it’s just one pitch hurting him each time. He said he isn’t concerned. But lefties are hitting .269 off him, maybe not the best sign when it comes to his signature cutter. Bobby Abreu, who hit the two-run homer off him Tuesday night and handed him the loss, and Russell Branyan, who hit the three-run shot in this 6-5 win, are both lefty hitters.

Joe Girardi did his best to calm any onset of mass hysteria.

“I’ve seen Mo have three or four bad days and then run off a long streak,” Girardi said after this latest problem outing. “So I don’t think all of a sudden Mo has forgotten how to pitch. He’s in a little blip in the radar screen and he’ll get back on track.

“The thing I’ve noticed is he’s missed his location. That’s going to happen. As much as we want to think that he’s about as close to the perfect closer that we’ve ever seen, he’s not perfect. It’s going to happen from time to time. It’s happening now. Fortunately, it didn’t cost us today, and we move on.”

*Rafael Soriano was tested in back-to-back games, and he passed. He has been looking great in the seventh. Overall, this was his sixth consecutive scoreless inning and outing since he returned from the DL July 29. This game marked the first time he had even given up a hit, and it was just a single.

“I have a lot of confidence right now and I feel pretty comfortable the way they’re using me right now,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “I think that makes a difference.”

*Bartolo Colon was back to being more efficient after two starts in which he combined to throw 199 pitches in 9 2/3 innings. He threw 90 this time and lasted six innings, allowing two runs and five hits. His sinker was working for him. He got a no-decision, so he’s still 8-6 and his ERA is 3.31.

“Bartolo’s kind of had a rebirth here,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s been throwing the ball harder than he has in quite a few years.”  

*Alex Rodriguez is set now to DH for Single-A Tampa at Dunedin Friday night, the start of his rehab assignment.

*Robinson Cano’s grand slam gave him 20 homers and made him just the second player in franchise history to hit at least 20 in three straight seasons as a second baseman. Joe Gordon was the other.

*Curtis Granderson has four homers in the last three games. This is the third time this season he has homered in three straight games.

*Derek Jeter went 3 for 3 with a walk, including two infield hits. The Captain is batting .312 in 31 games since coming off the DL July 4. 

*The Rays come in for a three-game series starting Friday night. CC Sabathia and David Price are the starters in the opener.