Hip, hip … take a seat, Jorge.
With A.J. Burnett on the mound last night, Yankees manager Joe Girardi sat down Jorge Posada and played Francisco Cervelli at catcher instead.
The move appeared to be working well until Burnett got bombed in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ eventual 10-3 loss. Cervelli went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in the game. Posada pinch-hit for Cervelli in the eighth and struck out against Derek Holland. Posada then grounded out in the ninth.
It’s the second straight postseason Girardi has shown no faith in Posada’s ability to catch Burnett. Last year, Jose Molina caught all five of Burnett’s playoff starts.
Posada played the good soldier before the game, choosing not to blast Girardi’s decision.
“It’s tough not to play, period,” Posada said. “It is what it is. I’ll be prepared [to pinch-hit].”
Burnett and Cervelli worked together for most of the year. Posada last started a game that Burnett pitched on Aug. 2. Cervelli caught 25 of Burnett’s starts with Posada catching in eight.
“One of the things that we have here is we have a 39-year-old catcher that doesn’t play seven, eight, nine, 10 days in a row,” Girardi said. “We don’t have that. Jorge used to do that and Jorge was extremely durable. Jorge has caught a lot of games and done it very well.
“So my thought process was, if you have a guy that’s not going to catch 10 days in a row, it’s easier if the backup catcher catches the same guy every time, because all of a sudden you’re not throwing him with a guy that hasn’t seen him for four weeks and he’s not exactly sure what he’s doing in a certain situation or what’s been working.”
Posada will be in the final year of his contract next season, and it sounds as if he should be prepared to be the designated hitter a lot in 2011.
“Now, if Jorge was a guy that caught, 10, 12, 14 days in a row, it would have been different,” Girardi said. “But that’s not what we have here anymore.”
The Core Four member caught 83 games this season, his lowest total since 1997 other than two years ago, when he missed most of the season to a shoulder injury. The Yankees have Cervelli, along with top catching prospects Jesus Montero and Austin Romine, waiting to take over behind the plate.
Last night’s decision is another signal Posada is on his way out. Girardi told Posada Monday night that he would not be catching last night.
“It is what it is,” Posada said. “You go out there and play the game and get a ‘W.’ ”
Posada has not hit much in these playoffs. He is batting .217 with 10 strikeouts this postseason.
“It really had nothing to do with offense,” Girardi said. “It’s just those two [Burnett and Cervelli] have been together most of the time.”
Cervelli had not caught since Oct. 2, Burnett’s final start of the regular season. The Yankees surely were concerned about Burnett’s penchant for wildness, and the thinking was Cervelli was better equipped to keep Burnett’s pitches from rolling to the backstop.
There was also the issue of the running game. Teams have run wild against Burnett, stealing a major-league-high 37 bases against him. Cervelli has a stronger arm than Posada. Last night, the combo limited the Rangers to one steal.
Girardi knows his decision is not popular with Posada, and he understands why Posada would be upset.
“Jorge wants to play every day,” Girardi said. “That’s the bottom line. And when you’ve been an everyday player, your heart sometimes tells you one thing and your mind tells you another.”
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