Posada gets to catch, but Yanks shut out

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Very early in the season, the Yankees made it clear that Joe Girardi or even his bench coach, Tony Peña, would catch a game before Jorge Posada.

Saturday night, the Yankees finally felt they had no choice.

With Francisco Cervelli suffering from concussion symptoms and Russell Martin's right thumb damaged by a foul ball, Posada came out to catch in the bottom of the third inning.

It sent a charge through the Yankees' dugout and Posada stoked that emotion when he threw out a baserunner later in the inning.

But the energy didn't translate to a still-floundering offense as Dan Haren, as Jered Weaver did the night before, shut the Yankees down in a 6-0 loss to the Angels in front of 42,774 at Angel Stadium.

"We need to swing the bats better, that's the bottom line," Derek Jeter said.

The Yankees (87-57), held to four hits after being limited to three the night before, lost their fourth straight, again failing to capitalize on a Red Sox loss. Boston fell to Tampa a second straight game but stayed 2 ½ games behind the Yankees.

Martin left Saturday night's game with a bruised right thumb and was taken for X-rays during the game. The X-rays were negative and though Martin said afterward, "It's just a bruise," Girardi said he was unlikely to catch Sunday afternoon's game. Cervelli, who suffered his third concussion in less than three years, is to be sent back to New York on Sunday for more testing, and Girardi said Jesus Montero would "probably" catch Sunday, though he also hinted strongly that Austin Romine, the Double-A Trenton catcher most of the season, was likely to be here by game time Sunday. Girardi didn't go to Montero on Saturday night because he would have lost his designated hitter.

"I don't know anything yet," Montero said when asked if he had been told about making his debut behind the plate Sunday. "It would make me happy."

Martin doesn't believe his injury to be serious but said, "I didn't have any feeling" when he tried to throw to second after warming up CC Sabathia before the third.

The injury occurred with two outs in the second when Jeff Mathis fouled an 0-and-1 pitch off Martin's right thumb, bringing out Girardi and trainer Gene Monahan. After the thumb was bandaged, Martin stayed in the game. Mathis doubled and came in on Maicer Izturis' double that followed, making it 1-0.

"Jorgie said, 'Wwhatever you need,' " Girardi said of their conversation between innings.

Martin warmed up Sabathia (19-8, 2.93), who allowed one run and eight hits in six long innings, before the bottom of the third. But Girardi came out to remove Martin and Posada trotted out to catch for the first time since Game 6 of last year's ALCS against the Rangers.

"It was fun," Posada said. "I'll be sore tomorrow. I'll sleep well tonight."

Howie Kendrick led off with an infield single and Posada, though the throw was a bit high, threw out the second baseman trying to steal.

"I knew they were going to attempt," Posada said. "It's been a while."

Posada didn't sound as if he thought Saturday night portended anything more for him behind the plate.

"I'm an emergency catcher and that's what they wanted from the get-go," he said. "I didn't think in September it would happen because you have another catcher up here. But baseball's a funny game."

The Angels (80-65) blew it open with a four-run seventh off Hector Noesi -- turning a 1-0 lead into 5-0 -- and closed within 1 ½ games of the Rangers, who lost to Oakland.

Sabathia was in trouble much of the night but got out of most it, stranding 11.

"I felt like I had to battle," Sabathia said. "My fastball command was really off."

Haren (15-8, 3.06) was far better, allowing four hits in the shutout, striking out seven and walking none. After Montero's single to lead off the second, Haren retired 18 straight, with Eric Chavez breaking the streak with a one-out single in the eighth.

"We're not scoring runs," Girardi said. "It's frustrating but this team has bounced back a lot this year. We've gone through some tough streaks and we're in a tough streak right now. We'll bounce back."