Davidoff: You could call them the sore four

We're the opposite of superstitious here, but didn't the Yankees' Core Four just get all giddy on the cover of Sports Illustrated?

Jinx, anyone?

No, the only mystical force at Yankee Stadium last night was Father Time. The Yankees defeated the Orioles, 4-1, but talk after the game centered around Jorge Posada, who left the contest in the sixth inning, and Mariano Rivera, who never made it in.

Posada (right calf) could return as soon as Friday, and Rivera (left side) could pitch as soon as Tuesday night. Yet their disappearances last night highlighted just how delicately the Yankees have to manage their senior stars.

The good news for Yankees fans is that their team is a few years ahead of the Mets on the "Prevention and Recovery" front.

"We have some, I don't want to insult them, but some older players on the club," Joe Girardi said. "We have to be careful. We have to be smart about spelling them when they need a spell, and it's not always when they think they need it. Sometimes we have to make a tough evaluation. We have to be cautious at times."

Rivera, while remaining calm, did not quite agree with his manager's take. The oldest current Yankee at 40, Rivera pointed out that 29-year-old Curtis Granderson just went on the DL on Sunday with a left groin strain.

Furthermore, Rivera said, had this been October: "I'd be pitching. No doubt about it. But this is May."

Rivera first felt tightness in his side Saturday, after pitching Friday night. The Yankees kept the news quiet until Monday because they hadn't encountered a game situation requiring Rivera's services. Joba Chamberlain picked up his second career save, throwing a scoreless ninth; if Rivera is still unavailable Tuesday, Girardi said he'd determine his closer by game context and matchups.

As for Posada, 38, the Yankees announced late last night that he has a "mild calf strain" and is day-to-day, which seems to indicate that he should avoid a DL stay. If Posada gets deactivated, or even if he just needs a few days, the Yankees could recall veteran Chad Moeller to back up Francisco Cervelli, with Posada serving as the emergency catcher.

The Yankees think they have the roster depth necessary to back up their veterans for a short-term absence. So the key becomes ensuring those absences don't last long.

"We've talked about it since I've been here. That is a concern of mine," Girardi said. "We have a long way to go. The last thing you want is to lose a guy for two weeks, or a month. I'd prefer just to give them one day off."

Girardi also has 35-year-old Derek Jeter and 34-year-old Alex Rodriguez in that group, and he has to keep an eye on 37-year-old starting pitcher Andy Pettitte.

The Yankees keep trying to make their roster younger, which is why Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui no longer work here. But A-Rod is signed through 2018 and Posada through next year, and the Yankees realize they'll have to give multiyear extensions to Jeter and Rivera, both impending free agents, this winter. With Pettitte, they can keep going year to year, if he's interested.

Because they're all still so good, alarms go off when two of them reveal injury issues on the same night. Because they're so old, however, the Yankees must keep their fingers crossed, continually, and handle them ultraconservatively.

Besides, even with just the Core Two and a Half last night, the Yankees prevailed. You can jinx a $200-million payroll only so much.