Bombers bits

• One day after Girardi said that Brian Roberts -- who has played 91 games, his highest total since 2009 -- has looked "beat up" to him and could use a couple of days off, the veteran second baseman said that he is dealing with normal bumps and bruises, nothing out of the ordinary.

"I hope it pays off, sure. I'm not 20 anymore," Roberts, 36, said. "Nobody wants days off, but you trust the people in charge to make decisions that hopefully benefit everybody. Hopefully that's what happens.

"[Girardi] said, 'I just think it's a good time to give you a couple of days.' It's not my place to argue. I just work here. I'll play when they put me in the lineup. If Friday is the day, then I'll be ready to go."

• Brian McCann was out of the Yankees' lineup on Wednesday, with Francisco Cervelli catching. McCann said that it was just a scheduled day off, and Girardi said that he planned it this way to give McCann two days off with Thursday's travel day.

Girardi said that he was giving Ichiro Suzuki a day off for the same reason, playing Zoilo Almonte in right field.

"I'm sure it will probably help all of our guys at this point in the season," Girardi said. "As I've said, we have some age on our team, and you feel that you have to manage it."

• On this date in 2011, the Yankees scored a franchise-record 12 first-inning runs in a 17-3 win over the Orioles, sending 16 men to the plate. Thirteen reached base, with seven singles, two doubles, a homer, two walks and an error.