CC asked for extra day of rest last week

TORONTO -- CC Sabathia has always talked about his preference for pitching on regular rest but Joe Girardi disclosed before Saturday's game the ace requested extra recently.

"He asked for an extra day so we gave it to him," Girardi said.

It happened in advance of Sabathia's start last Saturday in Anaheim. In his two previous starts, Sabathia threw 128 and 111 pitches, respectively.

"I just felt I could use the day," Sabathia said by his locker Saturday when asked about Girardi's comments.

Sabathia said it was not an indication that the heavy workload -- he's pitched at least 230 innings each of the last four years -- is catching up to him, and Girardi doesn't believe that either.

Girardi said after Friday's game, one in which Sabathia didn't look sharp in his 5 2/3-inning outing, that the pitcher would go on regular rest for his next start, meaning he'd start one of Wednesday's doubleheader games against the Rays.

What Girardi wouldn't say is how he'll adjust Sabathia's schedule so he can start ALDS Game 1 Sept. 30 on regular rest. "Let's just worry about getting in, then we'll adjust the schedule when we have to," he said.

Oops! Weird double play

The strangest play came in the fourth when Nick Swisher, with one out and Robinson Cano on second and Mark Teixeira on third, sent a ball deep into the gap in right-center. Centerfielder Colby Rasmus made a fine play on the ball and Cano ended up passing Teixeira, who had retreated to the bag to tag up when it became apparent Rasmus would catch it.

"I saw [Cano] coming and knew it wasn't going to be good," Teixeira said. "He knows better . . . It was a heck of a play [by Rasmus] but there's no reason to be running like that."

Auditioning

Girardi's reasons for giving Austin Romine his second career start were twofold: first, the 21-year-old catcher hit some balls hard off starter Henderson Alvarez earlier this season when the catcher was with Double-A Trenton and Alvarez was with Double-A New Hampshire. But there's also the reality that backup catcher Francisco Cervelli won't be a player for October because he continues have concussion symptoms. Romine went 0-for-3 and had no defensive issues.