LISTEN: Girardi Says Sabathia Was 'Brilliant' Vs. Orioles, Gives Updates On A-Rod, Gardner
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi was singing the praises of CC Sabathia on Thursday, a day after the lefty threw seven shutout innings in a win over the Baltimore Orioles.
"He had all four pitches working last night, and that's why he was so effective," Girardi said during his weekly appearance on Mike Francesa's WFAN show. "He didn't really walk people. He had a couple of walks. Got double play balls when he needed them. I thought he was brilliant."
>> Subscribe To The Mike Francesa Podcast
The 7-0 victory snapped the Yankees' six-game losing streak.
"I think he relishes that role (of stopper)," Girardi said. "And I think it's something that he's used to. And I think CC has always been such a fierce competitor, and I think he enjoys games like that where we need a win and he needs to stop it (a losing a streak), and he goes out there and gives you everything he's got."
Girardi also discussed the injuries suffered this week by Alex Rodriguez and Brett Gardner.
The Yankees manager did not rule out that A-Rod, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained hamstring, could be out of the lineup more than two weeks.
"You're not exactly sure how quickly that's going to heal," Girardi said. "It's not a 25-year-old kid. The good news is he doesn't have to go out and run around and play defense, so it's hard to say."
Gardner was hit on the elbow with a pitch Wednesday. X-rays were negative, but he was not in the lineup Thursday night and the Yankees called up outfielder Ben Gamel from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Gardner is "going to try to go through some BP in a cage to see if he can swing, but we just felt like, if we didn't have Gardy available, we really had two guys on the bench," Girardi said. "You had an extra catcher and an extra infielder, so it really kind of strapped you," Girardi said.
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio player above.