NEW YORK - Darrell Rasner was scheduled to start Friday's Subway Series opener but when that game was rained out, Yankee Manager Joe Girardi skipped Rasner in favor of Andy Pettitte for Saturday.
When he starts at 4 p.m. today against Baltimore, Rasner will have been off 11 days, a layoff that caused the right-hander to shrug before last night's loss to the Orioles.
"I'm going to throw again off the mound today, my third time throwing (in the 11 days)," Rasner said. "I'm not concerned about it, no. If I hadn't been throwing, it'd be tough, but I think I'll be fine."
Rasner has been that for the Yankees in his two starts since being called up May 4 from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start in place of an injured Phil Hughes. Rasner won that start and then his next one May 10 at Detroit and comes into tonight's game 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. It has been a long road back for Rasner, whose 2007 season was derailed in May when a comebacker off the bat of the Mets Endy Chavez broke his right index finger.
"I have confidence in myself," Rasner said. "You have to. It's been a frrustating year from tlast season to this year. I stayed positive. The power of positive thinking really does work."