YANKEE NOTES
ST. PETERSBURG – Joe Torre and Brian Cashman admitted last night that there is a likelihood of them joining George Steinbrenner and the Tampa arm of the Yankees’ dysfunctional family for a sitdown while the club is here to play the Devil Rays.
“Probably,” Torre said when asked about his joining the Boss for a staff meeting.
“I will probably meet with Boss while here,” said Cashman, who planned on sitting with Steinbrenner during last night’s game at Tropicana Field.
Gene Michael, who was at Shea Stadium for the weekend Subway Series with the Mets, will eschew his scouting duties to attend the meetings that also will include GM Brian Cashman, VPs Gordon Blakeley and Damon Oppenheimer, and organizational pitching coordinator Billy Connors.
Two topics will be on the table when the meetings take place: acquiring an right-handed reliever and the possibility of getting a pinch-runner better than Charles Gipson, who has been picked off three times this year.
“If I can improve upon it, I will,” Cashman said of the bullpen. “We are going to get [Antonio] Osuna back, but we are missing a big piece without [Steve] Karsay. [Chris] Hammond and [Sterling] Hitchcock have done nice jobs. We are looking for a right-handed reliever.”
While Cashman said the Yankees have not scouted Rickey Henderson of the Newark Bears, he didn’t say absolutely not when the former Yankee’s name was brought up as a replacement for Gipson.
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Ruben Sierra eft last night’s game in the second inning with a strained right hamstring. Sierra, who started in left field, suffered the injury running out an infield single. He was replaced by Juan Rivera and will be re-evaluated today.
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Jeff Weaver (3-6, 5.77) draws RHP Dewon Brazelton (1-6, 6.46) tonight in the second game of the four-game series here.