Yankees strike out on Jimenez, Kuroda

Non-waivers trade deadline day arrives Sunday with the Yankees having struck out on the two starting pitchers they'd been most focused on, Rockies righthander Ubaldo Jimenez and Dodgers righthander Hiroki Kuroda.

The deadline is 4 p.m. Sunday .

Kuroda took himself out of the ring for the Yankees -- and other interested clubs, including the Red Sox -- as the pitcher, according to the Dodgers' Twitter feed, informed the team Saturday that he isn't willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Later Saturday night, Jimenez was traded to the Indians for three minor-leaguers and a player to be named. He actually started for the Rockies against the Padres on Saturday and allowed four runs in a 45-pitch first inning before being removed.

Though they were interested in both pitchers, as Saturday wore on, the Yankees grew increasingly pessimistic that a deal for either would be worked out.

The Rockies moved slightly off their initial demands, but their asking price remained prohibitively high.

Instead of asking for Ivan Nova -- who started and won Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader -- Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, the Rockies took Banuelos off the table Saturday.

Still, the Yankees didn't seem inclined to send Nova, Montero and Betances west for Jimenez. The Yankees liked the righthander but they, and others in baseball, questioned why a pitcher with such a team-friendly contract was available.

"They're valuing him like he's Felix Hernandez or Roy Halladay, and he's not that,'' an industry official told Newsday late this past week.

The Yankees still will try to get something done Sunday, though the market for a quality starter appears bleak. They also will continue looking for a reliever and would like to add a lefthander to their bullpen. They are interested in Matt Thornton of the White Sox, who had a scout at the Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Although the Yankees could be characterized as pessimistic about getting anything done by the deadline, the external expectation remains that they will do something -- simply because they always seem to.

Before Game 1, Joe Girardi said a trade isn't a necessity. "We've gotten to where we are with the guys in this room, and that's the bottom line,'' he said. "No, we're not in first place; I believe we have the second-best record in the American League and one of the better records in baseball, so this team has played very, very well.

" . . . As far as trades, as I always talk about, my job is to manage the guys in that room, my job is to get the best out of them, and there's a lot of talent in that room. The big thing for this club is staying healthy. We've had some injuries we've had to deal with . . . Guys keep stepping up like they've been, we should be OK.''

Joe no fan of twin bills

Girardi said that given a choice, he'd rather play a straight doubleheader than a day-night twin bill. "For the guys that play both games, the split's a little harder than the normal,'' he said, "just because you cool down.''

But he's not fond of either and would like to see teams be allowed to add to the roster for split doubleheaders.