Yankees still waiting to hear MLB's response to ejections
Yankees manager Joe Girardi, left, goes around umpire Jerry Layne to argue with home plate umpire Bob Davidson in the seventh inning. (June 2, 2012) Credit: AP
DETROIT -- The morning after, Kevin Long didn't have much more to add.
"Nothing good can come of me saying anything," Long said Sunday morning.
The hitting coach was ejected for the first time in his big league career Saturday night by plate umpire Bob Davidson, who then tossed manager Joe Girardi while he protested Long's seventh-inning ejection.
"I'll wait until the umpire's report comes out," Long said.
The sequence began with a first-pitch called strike to Curtis Granderson that appeared to be low. On the next pitch, Granderson hit a foul pop near the Yankees' dugout. Davidson, trailing the play, looked in Long's direction, and the ejection came shortly thereafter.
The feeling in the dugout among players and coaches was that Davidson baited Long. Davidson recently was suspended by Major League Baseball for what it called "repeated violations of the office of the commissioner's standards for situation-handling."
Girardi did not hear from the league Sunday and said he expects that to happen Monday.
Davidson worked third base without incident Sunday, which Girardi expected.
"You expect everyone to be professional and turn the page," he said before the game.
Still, Girardi took out the lineup card, something managers rarely do in the regular season. "I just wanted to make sure there was nothing that carried over," said Girardi, who shook hands with the four umpires, including Davidson. "And there wasn't. It was all fine."
Gardner closer
Girardi said Brett Gardner, on the DL with a right elbow strain since April 18, should take batting practice early this week and start playing in rehab games shortly thereafter. Girardi said the leftfielder likely will need "two or three" of those before returning. He didn't rule out this weekend against the Mets but said the following series in Atlanta might be more realistic.
Extra bases
Girardi said David Robertson (strained left oblique) was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday in Tampa . . . With their first interleague road games coming up June 11-17 in Atlanta and Washington, Yankees pitchers took batting practice before Sunday's game.
