Nuñez doing his best to fit in

CHICAGO -- When he looks around the clubhouse and sees players such as Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and a certain shortstop for whom he's been filling in, Eduardo Nuñez said only some of the time does he think he belongs.

"A little bit,'' he said before Sunday night's game, the sixth straight in which he replaced the injured Derek Jeter. "I know I'm not on that same level and I have to work my way to their level.''

The reviews to this point have been mostly positive, though one part of the game has given him more obvious difficulty than the other.

Nunez, 24, made two throws Saturday that required some deft work from Mark Teixeira at first, and the shortstop booted what appeared to be an easy double-play grounder in the bottom of the sixth inning. Replays showed he was the recipient of a bad hop, but "it was an error anyway,'' Nuñez said, laughing.

There have been a lot of them. Saturday's miscue was his second since taking over for Jeter and gave him a team-high eight errors in 37 games. Jeter had four errors in 62 games.

But what has stood out the most to Joe Girardi has been Nuñez's work at the plate. He went 2-for-4 Saturday, including what turned out to be a critical RBI double in the ninth that gave the Yankees a two-run lead. Nuñez entered Sunday night hitting .389 (7-for-18) in five games since taking over for Jeter.

"It's good to see him be able to turn the page,'' Girardi said. "Because players are going to make errors, that's the bottom line. Yes, they're frustrating and you don't want them to happen, but I don't see him taking them to his offense and I don't see him taking his offense to his defense. He's just playing the game, and that's what we want.''

First-base coach Mick Kelleher, who works with the infielders, said Nuñez puts in the required time, and then some, on defense.

"He wants to be the best fielder, that's his mind-set,'' Kelleher said. "That's why he works like he does. He knows he needs to work on it. He's got very good skills; he's got quick feet, he's got a great arm, he's got good hands. He has all the attributes you want to see in a middle infielder.''

Nuñez smiles easily and frequently can be seen talking and joking with teammates in the clubhouse. He may not feel he's at the same level as the stars, but Nuñez said he's much more comfortable than last Aug. 19, when he was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take the place of the injured Lance Berkman and made his major-league debut.

"This year I'm a lot more comfortable with my teammates and the staff. They give me a lot of confidence,'' Nuñez said. "When I make an error or something, they tell me forget it. Just play the game and do your best. That's all I can do.''

And not try to be someone else. It's not a small thing for a rookie to suddenly be thrown in the starting spotlight, let alone take over for an iconic figure such as Jeter. Girardi pulled Nuñez aside after Jeter went to the disabled list and told him: "Don't try to be Derek Jeter; try to be Eduardo Nuñez.''

Jeter also has offered his advice. "Keep the same routine, keep working hard, don't think about [mistakes],'' Nuñez said of what Jeter has said to him. "Think ahead to the next time.''

Nuñez knows that as of now, his time as a starter has an expiration date. Jeter, who has a calf injury, is eligible to come off the disabled list late this month.

"This is my opportunity to show that I can play,'' Nuñez said before smiling again. "But in two weeks, I go back to the same thing.''