Girardi takes the hit for decision to pitch to Morales

ANAHEIM, Calif. - He probably won't receive it, but give Joe Girardi credit for doing something few coaches or managers at any level do: publicly second-guess themselves.

Even fewer flog themselves the way Girardi did after yesterday's loss.

"I screwed up," he said.

The decision he regretted came in the seventh inning with the Yankees trailing 5-4.

After lefthander Damaso Marte walked Bobby Abreu and hit Torii Hunter with one out to put runners on first and second, Hideki Matsui grounded into a forceout at third, bringing red-hot Kendry Morales, already 2-for-2 with a walk, to the plate.

Girardi called for an intentional walk and Marte delivered a wide pitch to Francisco Cervelli. Girardi then popped out of the dugout, only to stop after several strides and go back.

His instinct, Girardi said, was to call on righthander David Robertson to finish the intentional walk to the switch-hitting Morales and then face righthanded-hitting Juan Rivera. Rivera (now hitting .239) was 1-for-1 against Robertson in his career and Morales, 6-for-9 to that point in the series, was 1-for-3 against Marte.

"I probably should have stuck with my first instinct," Girardi said. "Sometimes your first instinct is your best instinct."

Hunter easily stole third against the visibly uncomfortable Marte. Then, on a very hittable 3-and-0 pitch, Morales hit his sixth homer of the year, a three-run shot to deep left-center that broke it open at 8-4. Morales now is hitting .329.

Neither pitcher nor catcher used the odd scene as an excuse. "We have to handle every situation," Cervelli said.

"I wasn't confused. I knew what was going on," Marte said. "3-and-0, he's waiting for a fastball and I threw him a fastball. He hit it."

And Girardi said he'd be smacking himself around on last night's cross-country flight.

"Over 162 games, you're not always going to make the right move, and the bottom line is, none of us are perfect," he said. "There are things that you are going to think about long and hard, and this is one of them."

One that got away?Robinson Cano hit two home runs off Scott Kazmir on April 15. He also had four hits Saturday to put him at 11-for-21 against the Angels in 2010.

Kazmir's first pitch to Cano in the second inning Sunday was up and in. The second one hit him in the backside.

"Every pitch after that was away," Girardi said when asked if he thought there was intent. "I don't necessarily think that he was trying to hit him. He might have been trying to make him uncomfortable. Maybe he did try to hit him, I'm not sure. But a guy hits you hard, pitchers are going to try to make you uncomfortable. He's the only one who can tell you if he hit him on purpose."

Cano stared down Kazmir without incident, and on the next pitch, Jorge Posada hit a two-run homer over the centerfield fence. Cano homered off Kazmir in the sixth.

Extra basesNick Johnson, after taking anti-inflammatories Saturday night for a stiff lower back, said he felt better yesterday. He didn't take batting practice but still hopes to return tomorrow . . . Chan Ho Park threw long toss again Sunday and will head to Tampa on Monday to do it again. If everything goes well, he's likely to get a rehab appearance by week's end . . . The Yankees hadn't won their first five series of a season since 1926. After moving to 13-3, the 1926 Yankees lost four straight games and six of seven. The current Yankees have lost three of four games since an 11-3 start . . . Hideki Matsui is 5-for-23 with three walks against the Yankees this season.