3B Eric Chavez was activated off the seven-day concussion disabled list and started as the Yanks’ designated hitter, going 1-for-3. The veteran infielder, who was injured one week earlier diving for a ball at third base, said he’d been symptom-free for the past three days.
OF Andruw Jones belted a two-run homer as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning to extend the Yanks’ lead to 6-2. It was his fourth career pinch-hit blast, the first by a Yankee since Jorge Posada on Sept. 14, 2010 against Tampa Bay.
2B Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to nine straight games with a 4-for-4 game Friday, and the All-Star second baseman is batting .444 (16-for-36) over that stretch. “I’m not trying to do anything different,” Cano said. “Just getting some hits right now.”
SS Eduardo Nunez, who has committed a team-high four errors in 20 games in a utility role this season, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton before Friday’s 6-2 win over Seattle, with the plan for him to get more consistent work at shortstop in the minors. “When I look at Nuney’s future, I don’t see him as a utility guy. I see him as an everyday player,” manager Joe Girardi said.
RHP David Robertson recorded the final two outs in a non-save situation with a four-run lead in the ninth, one game after suffering his first blown save Wednesday as the replacement for Mariano Rivera, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn knee ligament. “I’m not too concerned about Robbie, but any time a player goes through something like that, I think it’s important to get him back out there,” Girardi said.
