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Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (pictured) was on his way to his second strong performance in a row when he grabbed at his side and exited Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. That's very bad news for a team that already has called on four Triple-A starters to fill in the fifth slot in the rotation and replace injured Miguel Gonzalez. It was a tough week already, after so-so outings by Jason Hammel, Freddy Garcia and Steve Johnson, and that was reflected in the combined numbers. The rotation posted a 2-2 record with a 6.03 ERA and averaged just five innings per start. Even though the team managed to go 4-2 in those games, this is starting to get scary.
Grade: D (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images /May 12, 2013)
New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi made an agonizing decision in the ninth inning, removing $29-million superstar Alex Rodriguez from a clutch situation and replacing him with veteran Raul Ibanez. Obviously, it worked out great when Ibanez tied the game with a homer off Jim Johnson and won it with a 12th-inning bleacher shot off Brian Matusz, but it still leaves Girardi with a potentially disgruntled superstar.
He said after the game that he went to A-Rod and explained the situation to him and doesn’t think the decision has hurt their relationship.
“No, I don’t,’’ Girardi said. “I mean, it’s a tough move. Sometimes you’ve got to do what your gut tells you, and my gut told me to make the move. I still have the utmost respect for Al and I still think he’s a great player. He’s just going through a tough time right now.”
Girardi would not say whether Rodriguez would be in the starting lineup for Game 5, but it seems likely he’ll be back in his normal spot against left-hander Joe Saunders.
