ARLINGTON, Texas — Even though Freddy Garcia has pitched poorly in three starts, he is not in danger of losing his spot in the Yankees rotation.
“Freddy will pitch again, absolutely,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of the veteran right-hander, who is 0-1 with a 9.75 ERA and has given up 20 hits in 12 innings.
But Girardi did not announce precisely when Garcia would start again.
Ivan Nova opens a three-game series against the Tigers on Friday at Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia, last night’s winner, would work on regular four days’ rest if he pitches Saturday, which would be Garcia’s regular turn.
Girardi said he was waiting to see how Sabathia came through last night — when he went eight innings in a 7-4 victory over the Rangers — before deciding what to do Saturday.
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Since Sabathia logged a season high in innings, Girardi could give him an extra day and use Garcia on Saturday. Or the manager could give another starter an extra day and insert Garcia later.
Whenever Garcia starts again, he will be well rested. He didn’t get out of the second inning Saturday in Boston.
***Brett Gardner will not test his strained right elbow by hitting until Friday at the earliest.
***After mistakenly wearing one of Sabathia’s socks in Boston on Saturday, when he hit two homers and drove in six runs, Mark Teixeira wasn’t messing with the superstition gods. He wore one sock with “25’’ on it and one with “52’’ last night, but it didn’t help. Teixeira went 0-for-4.
Sabathia also wore “25’’ and “52’’ socks.
***Due to a scheduling conflict involving the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI Tube, the Yankees had to wait an extra day to find out if there is a significant injury to Michael Pineda’s right shoulder.
Pineda, who has been on the disabled list since the beginning of the season due to what was diagnosed as tendinitis in the back of the shoulder, was slated for a dye contrast MRI on Monday but will now have the test done today and be examined by team physician Chris Ahmad.
If the test does not reveal any structural damage and Pineda is cleared to begin a throwing program, it still is not likely the 23-year-old would be available to the Yankees before mid-June.
***Girardi paired Chris Stewart with Sabathia last night for the second straight game, but said he is not going to use the backup catcher with his ace on a regular basis.
“I am not looking at a personal catcher,’’ Girardi said. “With the backup catcher it’s sometimes easier to catch the same guy. It’s just another day [for Russell Martin]. He will play the next two days.’’
Martin didn’t have to catch Sunday night when the game in Boston was rained out.
Stewart worked with Sabathia in his best outing of his first three starts last week against the Twins. And the light-hitting catcher enjoys hitting when catching Sabathia. On April 17, he went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs. Last night, Stewart went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
***Girardi used Eduardo Nunez as the designated hitter against lefty Derek Holland. In Nunez’s first start as DH, he went 0-for-4.
***Derek Jeter’s throwing error in the second inning ended an errorless game streak at 16, which dated back to last season.
***Catcher Ivan “Pudge’’ Rodriguez announced his retirement yesterday at Rangers Ballpark and was honored in a pregame ceremony that most of the Yankees watched from the dugout steps.
Rodriguez spent 12 full seasons and part of another with the Rangers during a 21-year career that many believe will land him in the Hall of Fame.
Rodriguez, who hit .219 (21-for-96) in 33 games for the Yankees in 2008, was a 14-time All Star, won 13 Gold Gloves, collected 2,844 hits and finished with a career .296 batting average. He also threw out 46 percent of runners attempting to steal.
“A tremendous catcher, one of the great catchers,’’ Girardi said. “He had such good athletic ability, I think he could have played other positions.’’
Girardi said there is “no doubt’’ Rodriguez is a Hall of Famer.
Rodriguez played for the Astros, Rangers and Nationals after leaving the Yankees. Before that he was with the Rangers, Marlins and Tigers.
george.king@nypost.com
Joe Girardi, CC Sabathia, Sabathia, Freddy Garcia, the Yankees, the Yankees, the Yankees, Rangers, Rangers, Ivan “Pudge’’ Rodriguez, Chris Stewart, Michael Pineda, ARLINGTON, Texas, Girardi, Mark Teixeira
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