Mitre starts Sunday; what about Vazquez?

Joe Girardi on Friday confirmed that Sergio Mitre will start Sunday against the Twins.

"Beyond that, I don't have anything for you yet," he said.

With those nine words, Girardi opened a big can of intrigue, whether he meant to or not.

The Yankees have to make a decision about who will start Monday and Tuesday against the Red Sox, and the fact that Girardi was not ready to disclose that information could mean the team is trying to figure out when to next pitch Javier Vazquez.

Vazquez, who allowed two runs in seven innings against the Tigers on Wednesday in his best outing of the season, was skipped from a Fenway Park assignment before that start.

Because of Wednesday's doubleheader in Detroit, the Yankees have the option of pitching Vazquez or Phil Hughes on Monday against the Red Sox. Or they could pitch Hughes on Monday and CC Sabathia on Tuesday on normal rest. That would mean Vazquez gets skipped again, possibly all the way back to Friday against the Mets at Citi Field.

Girardi said (somewhat laughably) last week that part of the reason he skipped the struggling Vazquez the first time was so he could line up to face the Mets and hit in the interleague game. If it happens again, two more believable reasons would be so Vazquez doesn't have to face the Red Sox and doesn't have to pitch in front of the Yankee Stadium boo-birds while he's trying to get himself straightened out.

Extra bases

Curtis Granderson (groin) hit off a tee for the first time Friday and is expected to do some light jogging Saturday. He is two weeks into the four weeks the Yankees estimated he'll be out . . . Jorge Posada did not start because Girardi doesn't want to catch him three days in a row yet after his return from a calf injury . . . The Yankees claimed RHP Shane Lindsay off waivers from the Rockies and assigned him to Class A Tampa. They released minor-league RHP Christian Garcia.