'Bad day' includes two errors for Nuñez

Eduardo Nuñez and Joe Girardi characterized Wednesday in similar terms -- a "bad game" or a "tough day" or any number of similar phrases that made it seem like Nuñez's two errors against the Orioles were an aberration rather than a fairly common occurrence.

However, when it comes to Nuñez's fielding, which Wednesday included a misplayed grounder in the 11th inning that may have cost the Yankees the game, there have been more than a few of those bad games and tough days.

"He just didn't make the play," Girardi said of the error, which took a short hop near the grass and skittered away from Nuñez to put Matt Angle on first with one out (Angle would later come around to score the winning run). "We gave them a lot of their runs, bottom line, and that's why we lost this game."

And then there was the play in the third inning -- a Robert Andino pop-up that dropped near the mound and near a slipping, sliding Nuñez.

"I played a little bit deep and I thought had it," Nuñez said. "But he says, Nunie, go, take the ball, and the wind is blowing in very hard."

And then that phrase: "I just had a bad game today. I don't want to make excuses."

The fact remains that Nuñez, who has played short, second, third and two games in the outfield, has had his share of fielding woes. He has 18 errors on the season, 12 at shortstop, which he considers to be his best position. His .931 fielding percentage going into yesterday's game is the lowest of any position player on the Yankees other than the rarely used Ramiro Peña.

Still Girardi stands by Nuñez, going as far as to say that the dropped pop-up was understandable.

"It looked like with the wind it was tough and it almost looked like Nunie thought Alex was going to catch it and Alex thought Nunie was going to catch it and nobody caught it," he said. "He just had a tough day. His defense, overall, has been pretty good, as of late. Today, it was not."

A-Rod took it a step further, with a nod to the soggy, slippery conditions that led the teams committing a total of six errors. "I don't care if it was Ozzie Smith in his prime, today he didn't have a chance," he said. "If I was Nunie, I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Bad day, he seemed to say. Better luck next time.