A-Rod steps it up; Joe hoping for Friday

With his left thumb wrapped, Alex Rodriguez talks with manager... — With his left thumb wrapped, Alex Rodriguez talks with manager Joe Girardi prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox. (Aug. 30, 2011) Credit: AP

By ERIK BOLANDerik.boland@newsday.comSeptember 1, 2011

BOSTON -- Shortly after reporting to the clubhouse Thursday afternoon, Yankees coach Mick Kelleher walked by Alex Rodriguez's locker. "Same as yesterday?" said Kelleher, who works with the infielders.

"Maybe a little more intensity than yesterday," said Rodriguez, who took grounders Tuesday and Wednesday but did not hit.

Kelleher said the two did "a little bit more" -- which mostly entailed testing A-Rod's sprained left thumb with a few extra backhand grounders -- than the previous day.

A-Rod said the thumb felt "pretty good" after infield practice but added that he'd have a better answer after swinging. So the biggest test came 45 minutes before Thursday night's game when Rodriguez took some swings in the indoor cages. He was not immediately available to comment after the session.

Will Rodriguez be able to play Friday night? "My hope is yes," Joe Girardi said. "He's going to hit some today and we'll have a better idea how it feels."

The call-upsThe Yankees brought up righthander Lance Pendleton (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre), lefthander Raul Valdes (Double-A Trenton), infielder Brandon Laird (SWB) and outfielder Chris Dickerson (SWB). Catcher Jesus Montero and righthander Scott Proctor were signed to major-league contracts and promoted from Scranton. To make room on the 40-man roster, they recalled outfielder Justin Maxwell from Scranton and placed him on the 60-day disabled list and designated righthander Ryan Pope for assignment.

Don't expect Valdes, claimed off waivers from the Cardinals Aug. 16, to suddenly become a second lefty option out of the bullpen. "I don't know a whole lot about him, but he is lefthanded," Girardi said. "I might even go to a righty before I go to Raul. Let's just see him here before we form too much of an opinion."

Sunday still in fluxGirardi said "we're still deciding" between CC Sabathia, who threw a season-high 128 pitches Tuesday, and Freddy Garcia to start Sunday. Ivan Nova will start Friday nightand Bartolo Colon will pitch Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays. Said Girardi, "We're going to see how CC feels and go from there."