Nunez in mix to fill in for grounded Gardner

Nunez in mix to fill in for grounded Gardner

Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News

Robinson Cano watches the flight of his solo home run Wednesday night.

The Yankees lost their best defensive outfielder Wednesday night when Brett Gardner hit the disabled list with a bone bruise and strain of his right elbow.

Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones figure to get the most playing time in left field in Gardners absence and you can put Nuney (Eduardo Nunez) out there, too, Joe Girardi said. Nunez, a natural infielder, says hes comfortable in the outfield, and Yankee brass told him he will be practicing more in the outfield, something Ibanez says he does every day.

I think I can do it, Nunez said.

But the Yankees know that losing Gardner is a blow. Jones praised Gardners defensive ability, adding, Its not only defensively when he gets on base, he makes things happen. Its going to hurt a little bit, but we just have to have some other guys pick up.

Gardner, who was hurt making a sliding catch Tuesday night, will be replaced on the roster by Cody Eppley, a righthanded pitcher the Yankees claimed off waivers from Texas on the final day of spring training. Gardner is batting .321 with a .424 on-base percentage.

Gardner took only a handful of swings during batting practice Wednesday and his elbow was quite sore. He was sent for an MRI, which discovered the bruise and a strained muscle near the elbow. Gardner originally said Tuesday that his wrist bothered him after the catch. He was in Wednesdays posted lineup but was scratched before the first pitch.

JONES GAFFE
Jones, who started in left Wednesday, had an adventure in the eighth inning when Alexi Casilla hit a ball down the line but stumbled out of the batters box. Jones assumed it would be an easy double and threw the ball to third base. Casilla, who had slowed down, saw this and sprinted to second and fans got on Jones for the play and later hit him with sarcastic cheers when he caught a fly ball.

It was no big deal guy didnt score, Jones said of the Casilla play. I cant look at the guy running, Ive got to look at what the ball is going to do at the wall. Nobody yelled Second or nothing, so I just came up and threw to third. A ball on the line is a double when you play somebody straight up.

Asked about the fans reaction, Jones said, You know, were losing, the fans get into the g ame. Thats about it.

PITCHING PLANS
At some point in the coming weeks, Andy Pettitte and Michael Pineda will be vying to get into the Yankee rotation, meaning every start is crucial for guys such as Phil Hughes (0-2, 9.00 ERA) and Freddy Garcia. Hughes gets his third chance of the year Thursday night and he hopes to keep his pitch counts low, a problem that helped wreck his first two outings. Pitch count is one thing that stands out, Hughes said. I have to be more aggressive, kind of go back to what I really want to do as a pitcher, which is attack early and finish guys off. Do all the little things that lead to successful outings pounding the strike zone, getting early outs and going from there.

A DAY OFF FOR A-ROD
Saying he was just trying to be pro-active, Yankee manager Joe Girardi gave Alex Rodriguez his first day off of the season, starting Eric Chavez at third base in A-Rods place.

Ro driguez had started the first 11 games and bounced out as a pinch-hitter Wednesday night. Hes batting .222 with one homer and two RBI. Despite the slow start, Rodriguez, who played only 99 games last season because of multiple injuries, said he feels fine.

Its part of the process, he said of the break. Just a day off.