Girardi: Too early to measure Damon vs. Johnson

DETROIT - Everyone knew going in, fair or not, that the seasons of the Yankees' Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson would be measured against that of the Tigers' Johnny Damon.

Johnson, who replaced Damon in the second spot in the batting order, and Granderson, who essentially replaced Damon in the outfield, are on the DL after getting off to slow starts, and Damon - who homered off Sergio Mitre in the fifth inning last night - has started reasonably well, but Joe Girardi said there's still a long season left before the final verdicts on the moves can be delivered.

"You can't play the what-if game," Girardi said. "We're going to miss Nick but we believe he's going to be back . . . It's the nature of the business. There's going to be changes every year and clubs don't stand pat, and it just happened that Nick got hurt."

Damon, who entered last night hitting .294 with one homer and 14 RBIs, said he takes no satisfaction in the struggles of those brought in to replace him. "I'm not that kind of person to ever do that," he said of having I-told-you-so moments. "I never look at it that way."

Damon said he hasn't thought about the possibility of returning via trade if the Tigers are out of it at the trade deadline.

"Not yet," he said. "Because we're still in the thick of things."

Special moment

Playing at Comerica Park for the first time since Ernie Harwell died at 92 last Tuesday, the Tigers honored the longtime broadcaster before last night's game. Girardi had his team in the dugout to watch. "I think it's a privilege we're here," he said. "He was a special man."

Extra bases

The Yankees brought up RHP Ivan Nova Monday, but because of travel logistics, he hadn't arrived at the park when Girardi spoke to reporters less than two hours before the game . . . Alfredo Aceves said he slept on the floor Saturday night in Boston and in his hotel bed Sunday night and that his stiff lower back feels "much better."