YANKEE NOTES
Yankee trainer Gene Monahan is going to need a velvet rope outside his room to keep order inside it.
With Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill and Scott Brosius already out of the lineup with various hurts, Chuck Knoblauch was removed from yesterday’s 7-2 win over the Red Sox with a strained left rib cage.
Knoblauch, who appeared to grimace when swinging the bat Saturday, is expected to miss a few days.
Jeter is sidelined indefinitely, so Joe Torre likely will use Alfonso Soriano in the leadoff spot tonight.
The X-rays on O’Neill’s bothersome left foot were negative but the club is likely to have him undergo an MRI today to make sure there is nothing structurally wrong with the foot.
As for Jeter, don’t expect him from a strained left hamstring back for a while.
“I don’t know about him,” Torre said of his All-Star shortstop who has missed four games, all Yankee wins. “I am going to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with him and make sure he is honest about how he is feeling.”
The plan for Brosius is to have him bat in simulated game action today and tomorrow. If his right wrist, which was fractured on Aug. 1, is okay, Brosius could play tomorrow night.
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The Yankees have drawn three million for the third straight season. They are the first New York franchise to draw three million three times.
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Roger Clemens (19-1) attempts to become the first pitcher ever to win 20 of his first 21 decisions tonight when he faces Red Sox lefty Casey Fossum (1-1).
“He is most definitely our MVP,” Jorge Posada said of Clemens, who hasn’t lost since May 20.
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The Rangers have two lists of Yankee pitchers and can choose one from each to complete the Randy Velarde deal. One list includes Ryan Bradley, Randy Flores and Brian Rogers. The other consists of four Single-A pitchers.
Bradley flew through the Yankees’ system, going from Single-A to the big leagues in 1998. However, since then he has regressed due to control problems, finishing this season at Tampa (Single-A). Flores was 14-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 25 games for Norwich (Double-A) and appeared in three games for Columbus (Triple-A). Rogers was 10-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 29 starts for Norwich.
