Pregame notes: “I debated long and hard about what to do today”

During batting practice this morning, Rob Refsnyder and Jose Pirela gathered at the second base position with infield coach Joe Espada. Taking turns, one ground ball at a time, the two young infielders went through standard defensive drills preparing for opportunities at second base.

Of course, the Yankees have now faced two left-handed starters since rosters expanded, and so far neither one has been in the lineup.

“I think we’ll use (the September call-ups) more as we get into this stretch of 30 out of 31 days,” manager Joe Girardi said. “We just had a day off. We had six days and then a day off, but as we get into this, you’ll probably see more guys start playing.”

On Wednesday, against a young left-handed starter with reverse splits, the Yankees stuck with Stephen Drew at second base. Today, against Rays lefty Matt Moore, the Yankees are going with Brendan Ryan.

Refsnyder and Pirela seem to have greater offensive potential. Ryan is the more accomplished defensive option.

“I debated long and hard about what to do today,” Girardi said. “But we decided to go with Brendan. Brendan has been here and our extra infielder, in a sense, all year even though he’s been hurt. Those other two will probably get in the mix, but I decided to go with Brendan today.”

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• Against a lefty, one day after he was pulled because he was throwing up, it’s little surprise Jacoby Ellsbury is not in the lineup. “He feels better today than he did,” Girardi said. “But with him throwing up last night and dehydration, I figured I’d give him today. He’ll be available to me unless he takes a turn and gets sick again. Right now he’s better.”

• Yet again the Yankees are sticking with Greg Bird at first base even against a lefty. Bird has hit left-handers since coming up to the big leagues. Clearly he’s the everyday guy while Mark Teixeira is still hurt. Might sit occasionally against lefties, but he’s not strictly a platoon option. He’s the starter.

• One day after his simulated game, the plan remains to have CC Sabathia start on Wednesday. Girardi said there’s no thought of easing him back in with a bullpen appearance. “If he feels good, our plan is for him to start on Wednesday,” Girardi said. “Coming out of the bullpen right now would not be something that he would be used to, and the amount of time it takes to warm up (would be new), so right now our plan is to go on Wednesday with him depending on how he feels the next couple of days.”

• What if Sabathia can’t make that start on Wednesday? “We would probably stay on rotation, then,” Girardi said.

• Nathan Eovaldi gets the start tonight. He’s been outstanding ever since that ugly start in Miami. Clearly the emergence of his splitfinger has been key, but Girardi said it’s more than that. “I just think his confidence has grown during this stretch where he’s pitched really, really well,” Girardi said. “I think his curveball has become more consistent. I think the location of his fastball has become more consistent. The key pitch for him is his split. In his last start, his split was up and he got hit a little bit. We’ve got to get it back down again today.”

Associated Press photos

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