Bird still grounded by back pain
Greg Bird missed his third straight game Wednesday. Bird, who has been sidelined since Monday with back spasms, had hoped to play in Wednesday’s afternoon game against the Rays at Citi Field.
Joe Girardi said he decided to take a cautionary approach and leave Bird out of the lineup.
“I was under the thought it would be a couple days,” Girardi said before the Yankees’ 3-2 win over the Rays. “Back spasms, it’s usually more than one day from my experience with them.”
Girardi hopes Bird can return to the lineup Friday against the Orioles.
The Yankees’ 24-year-old first baseman — who has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury — got a precautionary MRI on his back Tuesday that came back normal.
Despite Bird’s inability to stay healthy, Girardi said he still envisions Bird being a key piece of the Yankees’ young core moving forward.
“I still think that he’s an everyday first baseman that could have a big impact, but obviously you’ve got to stay on the field,” Girardi said. “That’s first and foremost, you’ve got to be able to stay healthy. But I think when we’ve seen him healthy, we’ve seen him be productive.”
A WILD QUESTION
Despite Luis Severino leading the Yankees in wins (12), ERA (2.96) and strikeouts (211), Girardi is not yet ready to name the 23-year-old All-Star the team’s defacto starter in a potential wild card game.
“Let’s worry about this ” Girardi said, referencing Wednesday’s game. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.”
Girardi earlier said he knows he must be “realistic” when it comes to potential postseason matchups, but was quick to point out the Yankees are still very much in contention with the Red Sox to win the AL East. “One good week for us and one bad week for them, and all of a sudden it’s a really close race,” Girardi said.
grEEN WITh ENvy
Girardi recognizes righthander Chad Green has been one of the team’s most reliable relief pitchers, but due to the sheer number of quality relievers in the bullpen, Girardi doesn’t envision a role change for Green in the near future.
“I think with the bullpen we have, it’s a good role for him,” Girardi said of Green, who typically throws two-to-three innings when he comes in to pitch.
CLEVELAND — For more than 100 years, American League teams have gone on winning streaks of varying lengths — short ones, long ones, doubledigit ones.
Nothing, though, like the one the Cleveland Indians have pieced together. A streak for the ages. Moving past the “Moneyball” Oakland A’s, the Indians set the AL record with their 21st straight win on Wednesday, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers, to join only two other teams in the past 101 years to win that many consecutive games.
Jay Bruce hit a three-run homer off Buck Farmer (4-3) and Mike Clevinger (10-5) won his fourth straight start as the Indians, a team with its sights set on ending the majors’ longest World Series title drought, matched the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest streak since 1900.
And in doing so, they separated themselves from every AL team since the league was formed in 1901.
“Who would’ve ever thought that we’d be in this situation?” Bruce said. “I can’t even imagine.” Believe it. Now that they’ve moved past those 2002 A’s immortalized on film, the Indians are within five wins of catching the 1916 New York Giants, who won 26 straight without a loss but whose centuryold mark includes a tie.
The Indians haven’t lost in 20 days, and they’ve rarely been challenged during a late-season run in which they’ve dominated every aspect of the game.
“I think they’re enjoying themselves,” manager Terry Francona said as clubhouse music boomed in the background. “They should.