Vazquez doesn't seem worried about bruised finger

As he took the field with his teammates for the pregame stretch before last night's game, Javier Vazquez didn't seem too concerned about his bruised right index finger.

"It's all right," the righthander, his finger wrapped in tape, said as he began stretching.

Vazquez was forced to leave Friday night's game after suffering the bruise while bunting in the top of the seventh inning of the Yankees' 2-1 victory. He was in the midst of his best start of the season, having allowed one hit in six innings.

Joe Girardi said it's "way too early to tell" whether Vazquez will be able to make his next start Thursday in Minnesota, but he was encouraged when he saw the finger.

"It didn't look too bad, it really didn't," Girardi said. "It was a little swollen [Friday] night, it's still a little bit swollen, but they'll do a lot of treatment to try to get that swelling out. To me, what's really going to matter is can he hold the ball and feel comfortable holding the ball?"

Girardi said the key will be if Vazquez can throw his scheduled bullpen session tomorrow. "That might be something we do before we travel to Minnesota," Girardi said. Vazquez said he thinks he'll be able to throw his bullpen session "Monday or Tuesday.''

Thames improving

Outfielder Marcus Thames said his sprained left ankle is "a lot better than three days ago," when he sprained it against the Rays by stepping on his own bat while running out a single. For the second straight game, he was available to pinch hit last night. Girardi said running is another matter and that Thames wasn't ready to play the outfield. "If he hit for me,'' he said, "I might even pinch run for him."

Extra bases

Girardi said he wouldn't be worried about Mariano Rivera - who entered last night having been scored on in three straight appearances, giving up five runs and five hits in 21/3 innings - unless he saw a severe drop in his velocity. "We've had him up to 94 this year, which is higher than he was last year," Girardi said . . . Alfredo Aceves (back) will pitch off a mound in Tampa Monday and could face batters later in the week.