Jeter wants to hit milestone in Bronx

Such a critical homestand, here at Yankee Stadium. So much at stake. Important to get off to a good start.

And Derek Jeter did just that last night, starting at designated hitter and collecting two hits -- the first one quite a cheapie, but it counts -- to increase his career total to 2,988. He must get 12 more in nine games to reach the 3,000 here in the Bronx.

The Yankees? Not as good. Freddy Garcia couldn't work his magic against the Red Sox, who pounded him and two relievers for a 6-4 Boston victory.

Which brings us to a setting that Jeter absolutely hates: When he is asked to address an individual accomplishment against the backdrop of a team loss.

This isn't a "Jeter hates to lose more than anyone else" argument. I won't try to sell you that load of baloney. The Yankees' captain is just more media-savvy than most of his brethren. He knows what will play well and what won't.

And now that the Yankees lead the Red Sox by just a game in the loss column in the American League East -- after a night that saw Mark Teixeira depart after getting plunked in the right knee by a first-inning Jon Lester pitch -- Jeter's pursuit of history has to share the spotlight with the team's fate.

'I would like to. I'd be lying to you if I said no," Jeter said before the game when asked if he indeed wanted to reach the milestone at home. "But there's going to be 10 other pitchers, at least, that don't want me to do it here. So I'll try."

SEE PHOTOSDerek Jeter timeline

With the Yankees already trailing 3-0 after half an inning, Jeter started the Yankees' offensive side of the evening by grounding out to third. With two outs in the second, however, he tapped a bouncer to shortstop that Boston's Marco Scutaro fielded and threw poorly to first base. Adrian Gonzalez couldn't handle the throw, and official scorer Howie Karpin ruled it a hit, generating some groans in the press box.

In the fourth, however, Jeter stroked a legitimate single to centerfield, a soft liner, off Lester. Dustin Pedroia cleanly fielded a hard-hit ball to second base in the sixth and threw out Jeter. And in the ninth, facing Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, Jeter fisted a flyout to Boston rightfielder J.D. Drew.

Against the lefty Lester, Jeter started at designated hitter in part, Joe Girardi conceded, because he wanted to preserve Jeter over the long haul of this homestand. The Yankees are playing 10 straight days and then head straight for the road, to Chicago (against the Cubs at Wrigley Field) and Cincinnati. Yet don't expect Jeter to take any time off as long as the club is home.

"You'd love for him to do it here," Girardi said before the game. "But you can't physically wear him down."

We'll see what happens this homestand if, say, the Yankees are getting blown out late in a game and Girardi concedes by lifting his older regulars. Will Jeter get the hook, too? Or will Girardi try to sneak in another at-bat or two, for the sake of pleasing the home fans?

Obviously, everyone in the Yankees' universe -- both those contributing funds to the team's bank accounts and those receiving paychecks from it -- would prefer to see Jeter get it done here. But the last year -- first his poor 2010 and then the contentious offseason negotiations -- has diminished Jeter's standing in that universe.

The proof came late Tuesday night, when fans poured out by the oodles after Andruw Jones struck out to end the eighth inning. Even though Jeter had another at-bat coming in the ninth.

Not even this great accomplishment by this great player can quell fans' disappointment. And who should understand that more than the guy who markets himself as the "Winning is everything" player?