Posada gets start at first base

BALTIMORE -- Jorge Posada didn't find the situation ideal. Slated to start at first base for only the 16th time in his career and the first time since 2008, he would have preferred better cooperation from the weather.

"Today I wish I could take a little bit more grounders because obviously I'm out there," said Posada, who played in the field for the first time in 2011. "But there's not much you can do."

With rain in the forecast, the Yankees did their hitting indoors and did not take infield practice. But a little later, about 11/2 hours before the scheduled 7:05 p.m. first pitch -- because of rain, the game didn't start until 7:53 -- Posada ended up getting his wish. The weather cleared enough for him to take some grounders and work on throws to second.

Then Posada gave the Yankees an 11-0 lead in the sixth inning with a two-out RBI double. It was the Yankees' seventh extra-base hit among their first 11 hits -- a two-out, two-run homer by Mark Teixeira (three RBIs), triples by Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter, and doubles by Jeter, Nick Swisher (four RBIs) and Posada.

Joe Girardi started Posada at first to give Teixeira the day off, or at least a half-day. Teixeira, who had started 19 straight games, was the DH. "Tex needs a day to try and get off his feet a little bit," Girardi said.

Posada, hitting .179 coming in, had not started Monday and Wednesday because the Yankees faced lefthanders David Price of the Rays and Zach Britton of the Orioles. He is 0-for-24 this season against lefties.

After Eric Chavez went on the disabled list May 6 with a fracture in his left foot, Girardi had talked to Posada about the possibility of playing first and had him taking ground balls during infield practice.

Girardi has used Swisher at first but he said that even if outfielder Chris Dickerson were OK to play -- he was held out after being beaned the night before and suffering a mild concussion -- Posada was his plan.

"In my mind, I had an idea I was going to play Jorgie at first today a couple of days ago," Girardi said.

Posada, never a fan of DHing because of how removed from the game he feels, was looking forward to being on the field.

"Yes, overall, being on the field and being in the lineup and keep doing what you're supposed to do," Posada said. "It's going to help out and it's going to help out Tex and he needs a day off, so I'm looking forward to that."

That's not to say Posada was in any kind of a comfort zone playing first. He said the biggest adjustment is positioning himself for cutoff throws and thinking through each at-bat; if the ball is here to spot A, then he needs to be at spot B.

"No, it's not easy," Posada said. "You have to think a little bit more. Something you have to think about every play. It keeps you in the game."

Posada came in hitting .179 but said he feels good about his swing, with six hits in his last 15 at-bats before Thursday night.

"I have been feeling a lot better, to tell you the truth," Posada said. "I've been working with K-Long [hitting coach Kevin Long], trying to stay behind the ball a little bit more and adjusting to what they're [pitchers] trying to do. I'm having good at-bats, and that's all that counts now."

Girardi speculated that CC Sabathia's presence on the mound might be ideal for Posada's first 2011 start at first base.

"A lot of righthanders in their lineup and CC is a guy, he's going to get his share of ground balls," Girardi said. "You're going to think more of them are going to be to the left side than the right side."

Posada laughed about the prospect of hiding.

"It will find me," he said. "It happened in spring training and it's going to find me again."