Speaking in advance of the Dodgers’ playoff series against the Cardinals, former Yankees manager Joe Torre acknowledged the work done by Joe Girardi in leading his team to baseball’s best record.

“He’s a good manager and he’s going to get better,” Torre said today. “I’m happy for him. … They’re a very good team.”

Torre said he keeps in touch with some of his former Yankees players (he did not name them), but he did not speculate on what it would be like to face them in the World Series.