The LoHud Yankees Blog

Joe Girardi got angry with the media tonight when he was asked about A.J. Burnett’s angry exit from the mound.

Camera’s caught Burnett cursing after he was removed from the game, but both Burnett and Girardi said it was a reaction to Russell Martin who’d just told Burnett that ball four to Joe Mauer should have been a strike. Burnett said he was angry at the umpire, not at Girardi. Burnett went so far as to say he’d never show up Girardi because Girardi has been too supportive the past two years.

As for Girardi following Burnett into the clubhouse — also shown on television — Girardi said he was actually going into the video room to get a second look at the pitch. He and Burnett never saw one another until they came back into the dugout.

Girardi was mad at the media who, he said, were looking for excuses to depict animosity between the manager and his pitcher. Both Girardi and Burnett said no such animosity exists.

I’ll have audio later.

Last season was considered a low point for A.J. Burnett, but he might be sinking lower. After tonight’s 9-4 debacle in Minnesota, Burnett is 9-10 with a 4.96 ERA. On this date last season, he was 9-11 with a 4.80. Facing a lineup with six hitters batting below .250 — and only one hitter with double digit home runs — Burnett lasted only an inning and two-thirds. He was charged with seven runs on five hits, three walks and two wild pitches. Television cameras seemed to catch him cursing at Joe Girardi as he was taken out of the game. The Yankees lineup scored only once against Twins starter Francisco Liriano, and they failed to gain a game on Boston, which also lost.

Associated Press photo

YANKEES (76-47)
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Andruw Jones DH
Russell Martin C
Eduardo Nunez 3B
Brett Gardner LF

RHP A.J. Burnett (9-9, 4.61)
Burnett vs. Twins

TWINS (54-70)
Ben Revere CF
Trevor Plouffe RF
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Jason Kubel DH
Danny Valencia 3B
Rene Tosoni LF
Luke Hughes 2B
Matt Tolbert SS

LHP Francisco Liriano (8-9, 5.12)
Liriano vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 7:10 p.m., YES Network / MLB Network

WEATHER: The weather has been great here in Minneapolis. Another blue sky. Temperature in the 70s. Very light breeze blowing out to center.

UMPIRES: HP D.J. Reyburn, 1B Ron Kulp, 3B Jim Wolf
There is a three-man crew tonight. Brian O’Nora is out because of a personal medical matter.

THE HITS KEEP COMING: The Yankees have recorded at least 10 hits in each of their past six games, batting .344 (78-for-227) with 26 extra-base hits (13 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs) since August 13. This is their longest streak of games with double-digits in hits this season.

DRIVING THEM IN: Mark Teixeira is the 27th active player to reach 1,000 RBI, and the fifth current Yankee (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Andruw Jones and Jorge Posada). Teixeira is only the sixth player all time to collect at least 1,000 RBI within his first nine Major League seasons. You’ve heard of the other five: Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Ted Williams, Al Simmons and Albert Pujols.

RUSSELL’S MUSCLE: Russell Martin has 15 home runs this season, second most among American League catchers and four shy of his career-high of 19 set in 2007 with the Dodgers. He has hit three home runs in his past two games and five home runs in his past nine road games.

UPDATE, 7:19 p.m.: For now, the Yankees have caught a break because Trevor Plouffe didn’t score from second on a hard-hit Joe Mauer double, but Burnett now has to face Morneau and Kubel with runners at second and third and one out.

UPDATE, 7:24 p.m.: Ugly pitch in the dirt by Burnett. It gets by Martin and the run scores on a wild pitch. It’s 1-0 Twins in the first.

UPDATE, 7:26 p.m.: Good throw by Gardner made it a closer play than I expected, but the run still scores on a sac fly and it’s 2-0 Twins.

UPDATE, 7:37 p.m.: First-pitch homer by Valencia makes it 3-0 in the second. Here we go…

UPDATE, 7:43 p.m.: Sharp double down to left. Looks like it just caught the line past third base and Burnett’s struggles continue. Tosoni being thrown out trying to steal was a gift.

UPDATE, 7:52 p.m.: Visit to the mound after Burnett’s second walk of the inning. Stadium is playing Crazy Train.

UPDATE, 7:56 p.m.: Third walk of the inning, and here comes Ayala. Burnett lasted an inning and two third. He got five outs, one of them because his catcher threw out a base runner.

UPDATE, 8:23 p.m.: The Yankees got a run in the third, but this is a big hill to climb. Burnett was charged with all five runs in the second inning, and his final line is 1.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 2 WP. Ugly.

UPDATE, 8:43 p.m.: Aaron Laffey grew up rooting for the Yankees. Think he expected to make his debut for them in a game like this?

UPDATE, 9:06 p.m.: And Laffey just walked in a run. Not good for this Yankees pitching staff.

UPDATE, 9:40 p.m.: Defensive changes. Posada is now at first, Chavez at third, Nunez at short, Martin at second and Cervelli catching. Three catchers on the field.

UPDATE, 9:45 p.m.: In the new lineup, Posada is batting first, Cervelli third and Chavez fourth.

Alex Rodriguez expects to play tomorrow. After another day of fielding, hitting and conditioning drills, Rodriguez believes he’s in game shape and plans to be in the lineup for the series finale here in Minneapolis.

“The only way I wouldn’t is if he came in and said, ‘You know, I don’t feel good today,’” Joe Girardi said. “Then we wait. But it’s very possible he’ll be a player for us tomorrow.”

Day-by-day, Rodriguez said he’s felt less winded running the bases, and he’s felt more comfortable in the field. He’s hoping to be in the lineup and in the field tomorrow, and Girardi said he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of playing Rodriguez at third base.

“The work I’ve been able to do here, you’d never be able to do in Tampa or Scranton,” Rodriguez said. “We had full drills with Mick Kelleher at third base, did pretty much everything defensively except dive for a ball. My work with Dana was really good, really intense. Then I had a really good session again with Kevin Long. We’ve checked every box pretty much.”

Girardi said there’s no temptation to simply wait until Tuesday so that Rodriguez gets an even longer break with the off day. Rodriguez has had enough days off as it is. He doesn’t need another.

“Dana has put me through some extensive workouts and I’ve woken up really good, better each day,” Rodriguez said. “We’re progressing well each day and we have Monday to fall back on, then come back at it strong Tuesday.”

• Aaron Laffey showed up about three hours before first pitch. He’s not a very big guy, but the Yankees are encouraged by his stats from earlier this season. If he doesn’t pitch in tonight’s game, he’ll throw a bullpen because he hasn’t been on a mound in a while.

• Laffey grew up in Maryland, and it turns out he grew up a Yankees fan. He said it’s “a little crazy” to be in a clubhouse with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. He grew up a big fan of Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neill. And, of course, he loved Don Mattingly. “All-time favorite,” Laffey said.

• Laffey said CC Sabathia was a kind of mentor for him in Cleveland. He said Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano sort of took him under their wing. He was making some small talk with Sabathia in the clubhouse dining room not long after getting his locker situated.

• Girardi said Rodriguez realized in his rehab games that his conditioning wasn’t game-ready. That’s why he played the games, then started the workout program (it’s usually the other way around). “I think it probably told him what he needed,” Girardi said. “He felt pretty good when he started playing the games, but I think there’s some hurdles when you come back from an injury that you have to get over. Is my leg going to be stable? Will it hold up? Can I do the things I want to do? I think he’s found out that, yes I can.”

• What is Girardi looking for out of A.J. Burnett today? “Just go out and compete,” Girardi said. “Throw strikes. Locate. For A.J. it’s mixing his pitches just like Hughes did yesterday, and locate.”

TWINS
Ben Revere CF
Trevor Plouffe RF
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Jason Kubel DH
Danny Valencia 3B
Rene Tosoni LF
Luke Hughes 2B
Matt Tolbert SS

Associated Press photo

About 30 minutes ago, Alex Rodriguez went through a series of intense conditioning drills with strength coach Dana Cavalea. As expected, he’s still not active.

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

Just a heads up on a two things…

1. It’s not a cheap ticket, but Dave Robertson and Nick Swisher are hosting Yankees Unite for Tornado Relief on Monday’s off day. I talked to Dave and his wife, Erin, about it when Dave served drinks for the charity earlier this season. They’re both genuinely excited about it, and it really sounds like an incredible event. If you have the cash, it could be a great experience for a great cause.

2. Derek Jeter has donated the helmet and batting gloves he wore for career hit No. 3,000 to the Baseball Hall of Fame. They’ll be on display in about two weeks. “(Jeter) has a long history of being incredibly generous to the Museum, which in turn, has allowed all baseball fans to realize the profound impact he has had on our National Pastime for the last 16 years.” Jeff Idelson, president of the Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “He’s a great representative of the Yankees and baseball, and it’s an honor to preserve his accomplishments in Cooperstown in perpetuity.”

Russell Martin got his first big league call-up in 2006, and he hasn’t been back to minor leagues since. For a 28-year-old catcher, the guy has played a lot of big league games.

“I feel like it’s April right now,” he said. “Seriously. The way Joe’s been giving me rest, I’ve never had a year like this where I’ve been fully rested like I am now. I’ve got to give it up to him, because I’m not going to take days off. They’re going to have to give it to me.”

Martin opened the 2006 season in the minors, and he spent part of 2010 on the disabled list. That means he’s spent three full seasons in the big leagues. During those years, Martin caught 145, 149 and 137 games for the Dodgers. He’s carried a heavy workload, and he came to the Yankees with some concerns about his ability to remain both healthy and productive through a full season.

Right now it’s late August, and Martin’s pretty much what he’s been all season: A strong defensive catcher who’s ability to hit for power makes him a legitimate threat at the plate. He’s caught in 96 games, and Joe Girardi has been careful to give Martin regular days off to keep his knees and legs fresh.

“He’s a guy that sometimes appears to get stronger the more he plays,” Girardi said.

Martin’s not hitting for average, but the combination of his power with the bat, glove behind the plate , and relationship with the pitching staff have made him valuable beyond expectation. The key, as he explains it, has been staying healthy.

“Right now I’ve got zero problems,” Martin said. “When you’re feeling great, you expect to do well. Hopefully I can just keep feeling like this the rest of the way.”

Associated Press photo

It was earlier this month that Phil Hughes seemed to be pitching for his spot in the rotation and delivered that six-inning, rain-shortened shutout in Chicago. That was less than three weeks ago, and Hughes is no longer looking like an odd man out. Right now he looks like the Yankees No. 2 starter.

“It’s not even my focus, the playoffs or the next rotation around and who’s going to be the guy left out,” Hughes said. “It’s not really anything I think about. I’m happy with the way the last few starts have gone, and that’s really all I think about, and the next one I get.”

In his past three starts, beginning in Chicago, Hughes has a 1.37 ERA, allowing nine hits in 19.2 innings. Tonight he walked more than he struck out — fourth time he’s done that this season — but in his past four starts he has 15 strikeouts and five walks.

“This was definitely an eye-opener for me,” Russell Martin said. “Just being back there and hitting spots like he was and having confidence. He shook me off a couple of times and wanted to go in with the fastball in and he executed a pitch about eight, nine times out of 10. Definitely pretty impressive.”

Joe Girardi’s been talking a lot about Hughes’ confidence lately, but he seems most impressed by Hughes confidence in his secondary pitches. Martin said Hughes’ curveball was only “okay” tonight, but Hughes was still mixing plenty of offspeed pitches all night. He’s started throwing the changeup a lot more, and the cutter’s becoming a weapon again (though not as overused as it’s been at some points in the past).

“That’s the game plan,” Hughes said. “Moving my fastball in and out, changeups when I feel like I need to, cutters when I need to, and curveballs in the right situations. It just seems like we’re picking the right pitch at the right time right now. Russ and I have been on the same page for the most part, and it makes it fun to do that when you and your catcher are seeing eye-to-eye like that.”

The Yankees still have rotation questions to answer — and they still have more than a month to play — but Hughes is making his case. He was hurt, then he was rehabbing, then he was getting himself back into a rhythm at this level. Now he’s showing how good he can be.

“We think all our guys can help,” Girardi said. “We’re just going to let this all play out, continue to try to win ballgames and win series. We have a long ways to go before we get to the playoffs, but I’m very pleased with the way he’s throwing the bal and the way a lot of our guys are throwing the ball.”

Here’s Hughes.

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• Mark Teixeira reached 1,000 career RBI with his two-run double in the ninth. “You almost can’t believe it,” Teixeira said. “I’ve always been someone that’s just played every game and every year. It’s a grind, and it’s never easy. When you reach something like 1,000 RBI in only nine years, you look at yourself and say, ‘Okay, I’m doing all right.’ Just keep doing what you’re doing, keep working hard and hopefully there’s a lot more to come.”

• Russell Martin had his third multi-homer game of the season. He had one before this year. He’s now homered three times in his past two games after hitting two home runs in his previous 34 games. “I just kind of simplified my approach,” Martin said. “Just going up there and just swinging the bat hard and trying to see the ball. See the ball, hit the ball. And that’s really all I’ve been doing. I’ve been working with K-Long a lot in the cage, and he’s a confidence booster. You spend a lot of time with him and he just makes you feel good about yourself. I think that’s the main thing.”

• Hughes was asked if he was happier with Martin’s work at the plate or behind the plate. “I’ll go with the two homers,” Hughes said. “It’s nice to have that run support. He’s automatic when it comes to calling a good game back there. To see him break out like that is pretty exciting.”

• Did you expect this? The Yankees are now tied with Kansas City for the American League lead in stolen bases. Curtis Granderson stole his 23rd of the season and the Ynakees have 121 for the year. They have 40 steals in his past 33 games.

• Derek Jeter is hitting .353 with 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs in his past 37 games. The guy just keeps hitting, and his batting average is up to .292. His 152 career hits are ninth-most against the Twins among active players. He’s a career .321 hitter against Minnesota.

• Jeter needs four hits to tie Rod Carew for 22nd on baseball’s all-time hits list.

• Hughes on the home run by Trevor Plouffe: “Trevor’s a good fastball hitter and I made the mistake of trying to overpower him. I leaked over the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it. I made the adjustment with him. Some other guys, we got some good game plans, but it was one run. I knew we could score some runs and we scored plenty tonight.”

• Robinson Cano has an 11-game hitting streak.

• Jeter was taken out of the game in the ninth inning. Girardi said he’s not hurt, just pulled because it was an 8-1 game. Jeter is fine after the play at the plate.

Associated Press photos

Phil Hughes gave up a home run to the second batter he faced tonight, but he didn’t allow another hit until the eighth in a dominant 8-1 Yankees win against the Twins. Hughes retired 14 in a row at one point, giving the Yankees a start reminiscent of his rain-shortened shutout in Chicago earlier this month. Russell Martin hit two home runs including a game-tying solo shot in the third. From there, the Yankees pulled away. Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson each had RBI doubles. Derek Jeter raised his batting average to .292.

Associated Press photo

YANKEES (75-47)
Brett Gardner LF
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Eric Chavez 3B
Jorge Posada DH
Russell Martin C

RHP Phil Hughes (3-4, 6.55)
Hughes vs. Twins

TWINS (54-69)
Ben Revere CF
Trevor Plouffe RF
Joe Mauer C
Justin Morneau 1B
Jason Kubel DH
Danny Valencia 3B
Rene Tosoni LF
Luke Hughes 2B
Tyuyoshi Nishioka SS

RHP Kevin Slowey (0-0, 4.91)
Slowey vs. Yankees

TIME/TV: 8:10 p.m., YES Network

WEATHER: Beautiful night at the best ballpark in the American League.

UMPIRES: HP Jim Wolf, 1B D.J. Reyburn, 2B Ron Kulpa, 3B Brian O’Nora

MOST CAN’T, GRANDY CAN: Curtis Granderson is the third player in American League history to collect at least 30 homers, 10 triples and 20 stolen bases in the same season. The others were the St. Louis Browns’ Ken Williams in 1922 and Boston’s Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.

MORE GRANDERSON: The Yankees center fielder has scored 112 runs this season, a whopping 22 more than any other player in the big leagues… He’s already scored 36 more runs than all of last season, and he’s 10 away from his career high… Granderson also leads the Majors in total bases and he’s tied with Ryan Howard for the most RBI.

ON THIS DATE: On August 19, 2000, the Yankees managed to record three sacrifice flies in the same inning thanks to a Ron Gant error. This was against the Angels, and Posada, Brosius and Bellinger had the sac flies.

UPDATE, 8:23 p.m.: Plouffe goes deep and it’s a 1-0 Twins lead in the first.

UPDATE, 8:55 p.m.: A few things that just happened while I went to grab a sandwich during the third inning…

Russell Martin tied the game with a home run.
I discovered that the Twins television broadcast does not show velocity.
A foul ball apparently came right over my computer and dented the wall behind my seat.

So, I’m still alive and the Yankees are tied.

UPDATE, 9:02 p.m.: Yankees have the lead on back-to-back doubles by Teixeira and Cano.

UPDATE, 9:12 p.m.: Hughes is settling in for the Yankees. He’s retired eight in a row and is through the fourth inning on 49 pitches.

UPDATE, 9:19 p.m.: Girardi predicted some sort of umpire controversy tonight — he said they come in threes — and now a close call on a ball down the line has given the Yankees another run and a 3-1 lead. Granderson’s RBI double was called fair, and it looked fair on a replay. Looked like it went right over the bag.

UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.: Jeter scores on a close play at the plate and it’s 4-1. The throw beat him, but it was off line.

UPDATE, 9:35 p.m.: Martin’s third hit of the night is his second homer and it’s now a 6-1 game in the sixth.

UPDATE, 9:50 p.m.: That’s 14 in a row retired by Hughes. The guy is rolling right now.

UPDATE, 10:45 p.m.: Here comes Luis Ayala to wrap up this thing with the Yankees in front 8-1. hard to believe it was earlier this month that we were debating whether the Yankees had room in the rotation for Hughes. Right now, he’s clearly their second best starter.