BOSTON -- While Yankees manager Joe Girardi tends to the final days of Alex Rodriguez's career with kid gloves, there is still plenty of business to tend to with the rest of the club as they continue to fight for a postseason spot.
At the onset of a three-game set with the rival Red Sox, Girardi expressed the team's discontent with their current position in the standings and how they are hoping to change that.
"I'm not satisfied with where we are," said Girardi. "I think we're all disappointed with where we are. The year has not went the way we want so far, but we're still in charge and we can change that. We have the opportunity to change that. So we're continuing to fight. We've just come off a good series at home against Cleveland."
The Yankees entered action Tuesday 4 1/2 games back of the second American League Wild Card.
Girardi also feels that the club's latest pickup, left-handed reliever Tommy Layne, could play a pivotal role in the three-game series.
"Tommy Layne is a guy that we've seen, and that's been a left-handed specialist more than anything, and it's kind of how I'll use him," said Girardi. "You look at the way their lineup is set up, I think there's a good chance we're going to see him in this series."
Layne pitched for Boston in parts of the past three seasons, but he was designated for assignment and then given his outright release Saturday.
"We feel that we're still in this," Girardi said. "Is it an uphill battle? Sure it is. There's three or four teams that's in front of us, but we're going to play a lot of these teams, and that's the good thing."