Girardi wants fresh legs in September
Infielder Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees slides into second base for a force out against the Tampa Bay Rays. (April 7, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
Welcome to Joe Girardi's new reality.
The Yankees manager decided Saturday night to give Derek Jeter a rest against the Rays by starting him as the designated hitter. He's contemplating not playing Alex Rodriguez at all Sunday.
Saturday night was the second game of the season. Jeter and A-Rod need rest already?
No. But Girardi is making an early statement that this is the way it's going to be in 2012 and beyond for his aging superstars in the double wild-card era -- even if Jeter's replacement, Eduardo Nuñez, made a first-inning error that led to two unearned runs in Tampa Bay's 8-6 victory over the 0-2 Yankees.
With two wild cards in each league, Major League Baseball has finally placed a premium on winning your division. Gone are the days when teams can coast to the regular-season finish line because a wild-card berth is just as good; it's a tactic Girardi used in 2010 when he rested his regulars instead of going all-out for the AL East title that ended up going to Tampa Bay.
"The big thing that we did," Girardi said, "when guys were nicked up and we felt we had a [playoff] spot, we would try to rest them and get them healthy. I think you're going to look at that a little bit different."
Managers will do whatever they can to avoid that wild-card play-in game. Jeter turns 38 in June, A-Rod 37 in July. So resting them now hopefully means they're fresher in September, when Girardi might not be able to be as generous with the time off.
For now, Girardi said: "Against lefties, I'm probably going to DH Alex or Jeet a substantial amount of time. You know, this [artificial] turf can be rough on these guys, especially early on in the season . . . And we've got a day game [today]."
Ask Jeter about getting a half-day off on the season's second day and he'll just laugh. Girardi wants to use Nuñez against lefthanders; he started at shortstop Saturday night against David Price and botched the first ball hit to him, a grounder so routine, Jeter could have gobbled it up with one hand while calling a supermodel with the other.
Nuñez, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI single, was error-prone early last season but got better.
"Nunie played extremely well last year," Girardi said. "He provides speed for us in our lineup. It gives us some options and maybe you don't have to play certain guys as much as you would normally have to."
The Yankees are always going to have a veteran club. Their only regulars under 30 are Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Brett Gardner. Nuñez, 24, is their only bench player under 30. They have a 42-year-old closer in Mariano Rivera and 39-year-old Andy Pettitte getting ready for a May debut.
But the biggest age-related issues are on the left side of the infield. Rodriguez played in only 99 games in 2011. Jeter played in 131, his lowest total since 2003, when he was injured on Opening Day.
It's Girardi's job to keep them fresh for the long season. That started Saturday night and could continue Sunday, no matter how early it is or what the short-term cost may be.
