Swisher concerned about elbow pain

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Nick Swisher made clear the pain in his left elbow isn't something he's concerned about long term.

But in describing the feeling in the joint on the inside of the elbow, the rightfielder Friday used the phrase "sharp pain," which certainly raises a red flag.

"I don't know what it is," Swisher said before Friday's game. "I'm not nervous about it but I'd feel a lot better if the doctor said, 'Hey, man, this is what you got; it's going to be OK.' Because I've never had something like this before, more sharp pains. Hopefully, it's just a day-to-day thing. That's what we're taking it as. I expect to play tomorrow."

Still . . .

Swisher had an MRI on the elbow but the results were not available yet, manager Joe Girardi said after Friday's 2-1 loss to the Angels. Andruw Jones took Swisher's spot in rightfield and struck out twice and walked.

Before the game, Swisher repeated several times that his concern is that the pain is different from what he's felt before. The pain, he said, occurs only on certain movements, more when he throws and not when he swings.

"It's just scary, I've never had anything like that," said Swisher, currently in a 3-for-28 slump.

Swisher said he first felt it Thursday when he threw the ball in on Vladimir Guerrero's fourth-inning double.

"I threw it and said, wow, that didn't feel right," Swisher said. "Got here today and wanted to get some treatment on it."

Swisher said the elbow has bothered him at different points this season but Thursday made it clear he should have it evaluated.

"I know what feels right, I know what doesn't feel right," Swisher said. "After [Thursday's] game, I was like, we need to check this thing out. I don't like going in the training room; it's not my thing. But there are some times when you can't be a hardhead all the time and you have to go in there."

Swisher, hitting .262 with 22 homers and 80 RBIs, has played in 135 games entering Friday.

"Right now, it's such a crucial time of the season, the last thing I want to do is go down right now," Swisher said. "We want to win this thing and I want to be a part of it. If I have to take a couple days to get better, then that's what I'm going to have to do. I don't like sitting, but we'll see what the doctor has to say and we'll go from there."

Notes & quotes: Joe Girardi said he still wasn't prepared to give a rotation beyond this weekend, in large part because the bullpen came into this series "beat up" from the crazy week. He didn't rule out, if the Saturday or Sunday game here necessitated it, using either Phil Hughes or A.J. Burnett out of the bullpen . . . Jesus Montero got his first start against a righthander, Jered Weaver . . . Russell Martin was not in the original lineup but was added later in place of Francisco Cervelli . . . Dellin Betances, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, joined the team. Girardi said if he used the 23-year-old, it likely would be in long relief . . . David Robertson was the team's nominee, voted on by the players, for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award, given to a player who stands out on the field and in the community. Robertson established highsocksforhope.com, along with his wife, Erin, to help those impacted by the tornado that hit his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., in April. Fan voting is through noon Monday at www.mlbplayers.com.