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Derek Jeter will sit out his first game of the season. Just a routine day off.

YANKEES
Curtis Granderson CF
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez LF
Eric Chavez DH
Russell Martin C
Jayson Nix SS
 
Pitching: Hiroki Kuroda (3-4, 3.56)

Introducing Players A and B, and their 2012 numbers through Wednesday's games:

Player A
Stats: .232 BA, 5 HR, 19 RBI, .683 OPS
Salary: $180 million over eight years
Skinny: Average has steadily declined since posting a .353 clip in 2008, but power numbers and glove remain at elite levels.

Player B
Stats: .212BA, 1 HR, 14 RBI, .505 OPS
Salary: Approximately $254 million over 10 years
Skinny: Annually rated as one of the best players in the world and a bona fide threat to Barry Bonds’ all-time home run record. Receiving the benefit of the doubt by those waiting with confidence he’ll bust out. And waiting, and waiting, and waiting ….

Player A is Mark Teixeira. Player B is Albert Pujols. Teixeira has been affected by a bronchial infection since last month, which could be attributed to his usual slow start. Still, Teixeira has been a target of consternation; he was booed Sunday at Yankee Stadium after striking out with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth inning. Pujols also received a Bronx cheer last week from a normally laid-back southern California audience, but consider him fortunate those informal offseason discussions to join the Yankees as a free agent never came close to fruition.

Absolutely nobody predicted Pujols having this much difficulty playing in the American League. (Disclaimer: If you really did, you will be forced to pick my lottery numbers.) So to those frustrated with Teixeira, understand that Pujols’ current plight is worse.

The Yankees are hoping Teixeira’s heroics Monday in Baltimore serve as a turning point. Since he went 3-for-6 with two homers and six RBIs during the Yankees’ epic comeback in Boston April 21, he’s hit .169 with one homer in his next 19 games. But there is hope. Teixeira’s numbers on May 14, 2009 were .203-7-19. He ended his first season in pinstripes .292-39-122 and won his first World Series. Even when his batting average dipped, Teixeira became the fourth Yankee in franchise history to slug at least 30 homers in each of his first three years with the club (Babe Ruth, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez).

“We know he’s capable of doing more and I think we’ll see it,” said Joe Girardi. “I think it’s coming soon, I really believe that.”

Pujols is too good to continue to play this badly. The only player in league history to hit 30 or more homers in each of his first 11 seasons is 8-for-35 (.229– all singles) since belting his first home run in Game 28. In the Angels’ alarming eight shutout losses, Tweeted Danny Knobler, Pujols has gone 3-for-31 (.097) -- worse than his .225 average in games where the Angels do score a run. His struggles are one reason why the Angels fired hitting coach Mickey Hatcher on Tuesday. Los Angeles (16-21) has scored just 134 runs, ranking 22nd in the Majors, with an on-base percentage of .301 that's worse than all but three teams. Then there was the incident of Hatcher sharing details about a team meeting with reporters, which angered Pujols.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer took it a step further, citing a decline from “a post-modern Stan Musial” to “He is a living, breathing ‘John Carter” while threatening to lump Pujols with the New Coke and Dennis Miller’s “Monday Night Football” tenure as part of the five unofficial “biggest flops of the past half-century in American life.”

At least Teixeira is spared of such harsh treatment while he attempts to get going. Because Pujols is Pujols and making Gordon Gekko money, the pressure is intensifying despite playing 3,000 miles west of the big city.

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

When Ivan Nova is on the mound, good things tend to happen for the Yankees. Consider:

• If given a lead, Nova is near unbreakable. Entering Monday night against the Orioles, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Nova is 21-1 in 33 starts pitching with an advantage and Yankees are 28-5 in those games.

• More from Elias: The Yankees haven’t made an error with Nova pitching in 37.2 innings this season.

• The Yankees are 5-1 in Nova’s starts. Last season, their 19-8 record was the second-best for an American League team in starts by one pitcher. The Tigers were 25-9 when Justin Verlander was on the mound.

• Nova and the Yankees starters have stepped up their games in May. Nova comes off his finest start May 8 when he held the Rays to two runs on six hits in seven innings with two walks and a season-high-tying eight strikeouts. Over the Yanks’ 4-2 homestand, the starting five went 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA.

Monday's lineups in Baltimore:

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Nick Swisher RF
Raul Ibanez LF
Eric Chavez 3B
Russell Martin C
 
Pitching: Ivan Nova (4-1, 5.02)
 
ORIOLES
Xavier Avery LF
J.J. Hardy SS
Nick Markakis RF
Adam Jones CF
Matt Wieters C
Wilson Betemit 3B
Chris Davis 1B
Nick Johnson DH
Robert Andino 2B
 
Pitching: Jason Hammel (4-1, 2.09)

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

Tonight (YES, 7 p.m.)
Ivan Nova (4-1, 5.02) vs. Jason Hammel (4-1, 2.09)

Tuesday (My9, 7 p.m.)
CC Sabathia (5-0, 3.51) vs. Wei-Yin Chen (3-0, 2.68)

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

Seriously? One blown save and there are those, albeit a small segment, who don’t believe David Robertson is cut out to be “Mariano Rivera’s replacement?”

The vast majority of fans are behind Robertson and Robertson expressed his gratitude over Twitter. Of course, there were others who believed AM (after Mariano) was the end of the world. My guess is that similar folk braced for Rivera’s decline each time he blew a save.

Look, there will never be another Mariano Rivera. David Robertson will never be Mariano Rivera’s replacement, nor will he be the next Mariano Rivera. David Robertson will be the next David Robertson and will create his own niche in baseball. In fact, he already did as the most dominant relief pitcher in the game. B.J. Upton’s sacrifice fly Wednesday night was the first run scored off Robertson since last September 1 and 26 1/3 innings pitched. Matt Joyce’s game-breaking three-run home run was only the second long ball Robertson allowed in 96 innings.

Robertson’s ERA last season was 1.08, which earned him, an eighth-inning guy, enough appreciation to finish 11^th in AL MVP voting. Opponents loaded the bases 19 times against Robertson in 2011. He responded by allowing one hit and striking out 14. He’s been that damn good (copyright: Hunter "Triple H" Levesque), so why the fuss?

"Let's give the kid a chance," said Joe Girardi after the game. "Anytime you move up in a role it's an adjustment, but I have a ton of confidence that he's going to do a good job for us and he'll bounce back.

 "This could be tough for him, but as I said, this is a pretty resilient kid. This is a kid that's done special things for us and you can't forget that."

The YES Network’s Jack Curry referenced his article for the New York Times back in 1997 over the air and via Twitter, a time when Rivera, adjusting to his new role as closer, blew three of his first six save chances. You don’t do what Robertson has done since escaping a bases-loaded, nobody out situation in Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS – the night Nick Swisher coined the Houdini nickname – without being tough. Rivera figured it out, so will Robertson, and he may actually not blow another save for some time?

“I’ll see how he reacts,” Girardi said. “Take a look at his eyes (today), at his face, and make an evaluation of what I have to do. Being the closer is a little bit like being that kicker with two seconds to go and you’ve got a 45-yard field goal. You either make it and you’re the hero or you’ve got to find a way to bounce back. The great ones find a way to bounce back.”

Rather than ridiculously put him out to pasture after one failure, put Robertson in the great category. His challenge will be getting better. He deserves the concept of time, trial and error before he receives final judgment.

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

I admit I’m a Survivor fan. And while I haven’t seen every episode of all 24 seasons, I’ve witnessed the countdown to the $1,000,000 winner of “Survivor: One World” in its entirety.

This current season is on its stretch run. The same goes with the Yankees pitching staff as currently constructed. Andy Pettitte will be activated on Sunday and he will have a place in the starting rotation. This has Brian Cashman running Tribal Council as Jeff Probst, the castaways and the members of the jury.

“Time will tell,” Cashman told Meredith Marakovits. “Obviously there's 12 guys on the clock, so somebody gets voted off the island here at some point on Sunday and we'll see who that is.”

Manager Joe Girardi, of course, will have Cashman’s ear and play a big role in who’s out. Yankees brass decided on Pettitte for Sunday with an extra two days rest since his final Minor League start in order for the rotation to take a full turn one last time. CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kurdoa and Ivan Nova are secure. That leaves David Phelps and Phil Hughes as candidates for the bullpen – and the unenviable task on who to bump from the roster. It could be Freddy Garcia, Clay Rapada, who knows?

“I don't want guys approaching this (next) start and saying, 'God, if I don't do well this could be my last start,'" Joe Girardi said of his current starting five. "We're gonna make a determination, what we feel is best for the club, and we'll move forward after Sunday.”

The popular choice has been Phelps based on seniority and not because he’s incapable of starting. You figure Phelps would return to the bullpen with another reliever in danger of having his torch snuffed. Working under a pitch count, Phelps allowed two runs on six hits in four innings with five strikeouts last Thursday in Kansas City – a day unfortunately remembered for Mariano Rivera tearing his ACL.

Phelps shut out the Rays during his second Major League start Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, but also threw 89 pitches in 4.2 innings, so unless Hughes is scalded by the Mariners on Saturday I see Phelps returning to long relief duty. But if Hughes takes another big step back after two straight solid starts that will change the questions – and the Yankees will have less than 24 hours to figure it out.

If you were GM, what would you do?

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

I'll go more in-depth in a bit, but even though it's early May, this week's series against the Rays is a big one for the Yankees. They sit 3 1/2 games behind the Rays and Orioles in the AL East in this first season that places the ultimate premium on winning the division.

“Every game’s big at this point,” said Nick Swisher. “That’s the AL East. No matter what else happens, it’s going to boil down to the last week of the season anyway. We’ve just got to keep playing hard, get healthy, get our guys back on the field, and we think everything will take care of itself.”

The Rays are throwing their best starters at New York's lineup, James Shields, Jeff Niemann and David Price. Yankees starting pitching has shown signs of improvement and the offense busted out on Sunday with 10 runs after averaging 2.2 in the previous five games.

But more consistency is required. Last Saturday the bats were silenced by someone named Felipe Paulino, owner of a 5.19 career ERA in parts of five seasons and who made his 2012 debut by tossing six shutout innings.

Pitching matchups
Tonight (YES, 7 p.m.)
Ivan Nova  (3-1, 5.58) vs. James Shields (5-0, 3.05)

Wednesday (YES, 7 p.m.)
David Phelps (0-1, 3.74) vs. Jeff Niemann (2-3, 4.05)

Thursday (YES, 7 p.m.)
CC Sabathia (4-0, 4.15) vs. David Price (5-1, 2.35)

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

The fallout of Mariano Rivera's torn ACL won't be fading anytime soon. Mike Francesa opened Friday's broadcast paying homage to Rivera's impact on New York, baseball and all of sports.

"If you wanted to end any argument, all you had to do was bring up Mariano Rivera, because there is no argument," Francesa said. "There's been no argument about who who the best .. who carries himself with more grace and more dignity and more class than he has."

Bernie Williams, Rivera's teammate from 1995 to 2006, later joined the show. The scheduling was a mere coincidence.

"He was probably for years the best center fielder we had on the team," Williams said with a laugh. "It was incredible to go out there and see him in batting practice chasing fly balls. That's the way he chose to condition himself. It's very unfortunate he had to go through this injury."

SBNation New York's Ed Valentine sums up the feelings of Yankees fans here.

"There is only one way to feel today as a New York Yankees fan -- absolutely sick to your stomach. The sight of Mariano Rivera crumpled on the warning track

"Thursday night at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium with a torn ACL that will end his season -- and possibly his career -- was absolutely devastating. Rivera, 42, is more than a pitcher. He is baseball royalty. Loved by teammates, respected by peers throughout the game and media members who cover the game."

I wrote this after lunch on why you never tell Rivera the odds. If Pat Riley were to write a sequel of The Winner Within, he'd have to devote a chapter to Rivera. That's why I believe, despite having to overcome such a devastating injury at age 42, Rivera's final chapter has yet to be written.

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

A pall remains over Yankees Universe with the shocking injury to Mariano Rivera Thursday night. Participating in his normal pregame routine of shagging fly balls during batting practice, Rivera stumbled on the warning track and suffered what was eventually diagnosed as a torn ACL of the right knee.

“I thought it wasn't that bad, but it's torn," a somber Rivera said after a 4-3 Yankees loss to the Royals obviously rendered secondary.  “Have to fix it.”

Rivera being Rivera, he said he will attempt to come back before the end of the season, but given the timetable it takes to rehab an injury of this extent, it’s very unlikely. Also in question is whether will put aside any thought of retirement, something he’s hinted about but never definitively stated. Knowing Rivera’s heart, he’ll probably tell himself, “It can’t end this way,” once he comes to grips with the long road ahead.

"At this point, I don't know," Rivera said. "At this point, I don't know. Going to have to face this first. It all depends on how the rehab is going to happen, and from there, we'll see."

The Journal News’ Chad Jennings has a quote sheet of player reaction. Among the highlights:

 “Mo is Mo. There’s never been anyone like him. There won’t be anyone like him. You can’t go out there and try to compare yourself to him. You just go out there and try to get outs and do your job. … It was a freak thing. If it was someone out there that never really is out there and didn’t know what they were doing then it would be a different story, but Mo gets his conditioning when he’s out there shagging fly balls. He’s like a center fielder anyway. It’s a freak thing. There’s no other way you can explain it.” – Derek Jeter

“He’s the anchor of our bullpen, and it’s a guy that’s always there, always consistent. For something like this to happen and this is how we lose him, it’s tough. It’s really tough. It’s just like snap your fingers and he’s out. … -- David Robertson

Robertson on whether he’ll be anointed to take over the closer’s role:
“I don’t know if I’m prepared to do it or not. I’m going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got and hope for the best. I’m not Mariano Rivera. I’m not going to be able to go out there and do exactly what he does and get outs real quickly. I’m a different style pitcher. I’ve never done it. All I can do is say I’m going to try real hard.”

“There's nothing I can do but stand there and watch. It's a miserable feeling to see it. I didn't think it was that bad. I was just hoping he caught it funny or sprained it or something, and then we came in here after the game and found out the news.” – David Phelps

 “This is bad, no question about it. This is not what you come to Kansas City for to hear, but good teams find a way to overcome things. If we want to play in October, we’re going to have to find a way to overcome it. … It’s not what you want, but it’s not season over. We’ve got a lot of games left. You can win games a lot of different ways. Do I like having a deep bullpen, just like every other manager? Yes. Does this shorten it? Yes. Is it a big guy that you’re losing? Yes. But you’ve got to find a way to overcome it.” – Joe Girardi

Jack Curry shared his usual great perspective on the Great Rivera. I’m sure he’s in the majority when he wrote that he’d like to see Rivera come back to complete what’s been an incredible journey.

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Lots of discussion surrounding David Phelps’ Major League debut in Kansas City. Jack Curry sat down with the right-hander on camera while Joe Auriemma penned this feature.

There’s also a lot at stake for Phelps. How he performs will determine his next role and have a trickle-down effect on the Yankees’ starting rotation. Andy Pettitte will be back, perhaps late next week, which means someone is going to the bullpen and/or losing a roster spot.

If Phelps delivers, it turns up the heat on Phil Hughes (1-4, 7.48 ERA, 1.62 WHIP). While the consensus was Hughes showed improvement Tuesday against the Orioles, his line of four runs on four hits (2 HR) in 5 2/3 innings wasn’t reassuring. Once Pettitte returns, Hughes may be looking at a role in the bullpen, where he thrived in 2009 because he pitched in attack mode, which created similar results in spurts Tuesday night.

Hughes’ next start is Sunday afternoon at Ewing Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals have been KC barbequed. Their current 10-game losing streak is the longest single-season slide in franchise history and baseball's worst home start since the Cubs opened 0-12 at Wrigley Field in 1994. The Royals’  7-16 overall record is better than only the Twins in the entire league.

A perfect antidote for what’s ailing Hughes right? Think again. It may turn out that Hughes may be the cure to the Royals’ food poisoning from home cooking. In five career games (four starts) against Kansas City, Hughes is 2-1, with a 6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and a .329 BAA. His two starts off I-70 haven’t been pretty either: 1-1, 6.00 ERA 2.22 WHIP, .366 BAA.

The Yankees hope that Phelps can give them momentum heading into Friday and Saturday, when CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda, respectively, will toe the rubber. By the end of the weekend, Joe Girardi and Co. may be very close to decision day.

Pitching matchups vs. Royals
Tonight (YES, 8 p.m.)
David Phelps (0-0, 3.57) vs. Danny Duffy (1-2, 3.63)

Friday (YES, 8 p.m.)
CC Sabathia (3-0, 4.58) vs. Bruce Chen (0-3, 4.23)

Saturday (YES, 7 p.m.)
Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 3.69) vs. Felipe Paulino (4-10, 4.46 in 2011)

Sunday (YES, 2 p.m.)
Phil Hughes (1-4, 7.48) vs. Luke Hochevar (2-2, 7.36)

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC

Curtis Granderson is on a similar pace to his signature season of 2011, when he batted .262 with 41 home runs and league highs of 119 RBIs and 136 runs scored.

On this date last season, Granderson was .272-7-17 with 16 runs scored. This season he entered Wednesday’s action at .276-9-17-19. The nine homers tied Josh Hamilton for the AL lead and trailed Matt Kemp’s 12 among Major League leaders. He’s also continuing to rake against left-handers, batting .333 (10-for-33) with 18 homers since the start of 2011, the most by any lefty against a lefty over this stretch. It’s been a remarkable ascent from when Granderson batted .183 against southpaws during his final season in Detroit.

Led by Granderson, the Yankees slugged a league-leading 38 homers through 23 games while going yard in 14 out of 15, their best stretch since doing the same from July 3-22, 2010 and 17 of 18 from July 29-August 16, 2009.

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In case you forgot, the Yankees flirted with the idea of trading for Ubaldo Jimenez last July. Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Ivan Nova were off limits, but they were reportedly willing to deal Jesus Montero.

The Rockies eventually sent Jimenez to Cleveland. Hours after Michael Pineda underwent successful shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the next year Montero went 4-for-4 and is batting .294 with four homers and 13 RBIs.

However, looking at Jimenez’s current numbers, imagine the uproar if Montero for Jimenez became a reality? To those unfairly killing the El Savior-for-Pineda deal before giving the Big Kid an opportunity to show what he’s truly made of during rehab and once he’s back on the mound – a process that in grand total will take a few years before a full, fair and final evaluation – allow me to update you on Jimenez since becoming a Tribe member:

• He’s 2-2 with a 5.02 ERA in five starts. As an Indian he’s 4-4, 5.10. His 20 walks, compared to 14 strikeouts, lead the Major Leagues.

• Monday against the White Sox, Jimenez threw 105 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) on eight hits with six walks. According to Buster Olney, Jimenez didn't muster a missed swing from a batter until his 92^nd pitch and his average fastball velocity was down to about 91.5 mph.

In 2010, Jimenez was a 19-game winner (19-8, 2.88) and finished third in NL Cy Young voting. While the scuttlebutt suggested he was slowly rounding back into form, there was also a growing rift between him and the Rockies. In March, Jimenez went on the record by calling pitching for the Tribe “heaven” along with problems with the Rockies front office since his time in the Minors. Conversely, most baseball people raved over the Pineda deal due to the right-hander's vast potential. It just became an unfortunate circumstance when he injured his shoulder.

The Jimenez story would have been prime rib to the New York media, upgraded to a Porterhouse if Jimenez had pitched like this wearing pinstripes. While there are questions on whether Pineda can fully recover from surgery, there’s also no place to go but up. Jimenez is 28 and looks to be fading. Pineda may be out of commission, but he’s 23 and strong enough physically to come back.

Even if you remain unhappy with this situation, it beats the alternative.

Follow Jon Lane on Twitter: @JonLaneNYC