Girardi’s Experience Keeps Posada on Bench

Jorge Posada played in 112 games and had 379 at-bats this season, compared to Joe Girardi’s 65 games and 209 at-bats, but when David Cone started Game 2 against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, Girardi was behind the plate for the New York Yankees instead of Posada.

And when Roger Clemens takes the mound today against Boston, Girardi, 35, will be catching. And when Andy Pettitte starts Game 4 on Sunday night, Girardi will catch again instead of Posada, 28.

“I’m a Joe Girardi person,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “Not to say I’m not a Jorge Posada person because Jorge has a ton of ability. He’s going to be a heck of a hitter, a switch-hitting catcher with good arm strength. One thing he doesn’t have that Joe has is the experience.

“Joe has done it in postseason play. This will be his fourth year here. I have a great deal of confidence in Joe, as far as using the fingers behind the plate, having a sense of what’s going on, and I sense that the pitchers are comfortable with him.”

*

X-rays on Red Sox first baseman Mike Stanley’s right wrist, which was struck by Jeff Nelson’s fastball in the eighth inning of Game 2, were negative, and Stanley said he expects to be in the lineup tonight. . . . Yankee closer Mariano Rivera extended his streak of scoreless innings, dating to July 21, to 36 2/3 with a scoreless ninth Thursday night. Rivera has a postseason earned-run average of 0.44--two earned runs in 41 innings.