Upset Javier

Javier Vazquez didn't do much to hide his irritation when Joe Girardi took him out of today's game and wasn't trying to mask it afterward, either.

“I’m not the manager,” Vazquez said. “Sometimes as a player you don’t agree with the decisions that your manager makes but he’s still the manager and you have to respect that.”

Vazquez, still visably upset after the game, said several times he was "disappointed"  and "really disappointed" with Girardi's decision but didn't take it much further.

"I really don't want to get into it because I know I have nothing to win here," he said. "Like I said before, sometimes as a player you don't agree with your manager's decision but he's still the manager, he's still the boss."

Girardi, who said Vazquez would make his next scheduled start, shrugged off Vazquez's reaction.

"He's competitive," he said. "I'm Ok with that." 

Girardi said later in response to a similar question: "I don't mind guys being competitive and wanting to stay in games. I would have a problem if Javy was calling me out to take him out. That I would have an issue with."

And Girardi was being consistent. He pulled Ivan Nova Friday after 4 2/3 innings with the rookie at only 76 pitches, saying the righthander simply wasn't pitching that well. Vazquez was at 88 pitches, about to face Lyle Overbay, who had homered off him earlier in the game (Vazquez's replacement, Dustin Moseley, gave up a two-run double). 

“You look at how they get to the 88 [pitches],” Girardi said. "I thought it was time to make a change.”  

And with that, back tomorrow afternoon as the Yankees go for their ninth straight victory with Phil Hughes (16-6, 4.10) taking on Brett Cecil (11-7, 3.74).