CC Sabathia was very frank after his last outing, in which he essentially said that if this is where his velocity is going to be for the rest of the season, he will find a way to win with it.

“I’m hoping some more velocity comes back. If not, we’ll work with this,” Sabathia said. “I don’t know how many starts or innings, but it’s something everybody is going to go through. We’ll see if this is my time.”

The big left-hander is going for his fourth victory in as many starts tonight against the Rays here at Tropicana Field, and he has done it without the mid-90′s fastball that was firmly in his toolbelt when he came to the Yankees in ’09. Sabathia’s velocity then averaged about 94 mph, but these days he’s working more in the 89-90 range.

“One thing we’ve always said about CC is he knows how to pitch, and he has to continue to do that,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said today. “His changeup becomes very important,his slider and his curveball and his location with his sinker becomes very important. When you don’t have velocity that maybe you once had, sometimes you don’t get away with some of your mistakes. But he has very good command.”

• Update: Ooh. That didn’t go so well. Ryan Roberts homered, Sean Rodriguez legged out an RBI triple and Yunel Escobar hit a two-run shot as Sabathia allowed four runs in a very shaky first inning. Roberts’ homer was on a hanging 0-2 slider. CC’s top speed in the first inning was 90 mph. 

Matt Moore has the ball for Tampa Bay, taking on a lineup that will not include Kevin Youkilis, whose back tightened after taking batting practice.

“He has very good command of his fastball and a very good curveball,” Girardi said of Moore. “So when he leaves one of those fastballs out over the plate, you better not miss it.”

Lineups and game information is available via MLB GameDay. 

ST. PETERSBURG – Yankees first baseman Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch from the team’s lineup on Monday at Tropicana Field as the veteran’s sore lower back continues to be an issue.

Youkilis did not play on Sunday against the Blue Jays in Toronto because of the back, which he said tightened playing on the artificial turf at Rogers Centre on Saturday.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi had Youkilis in his original lineup for Monday, but a change was announced at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET.

Lyle Overbay replaced Youkilis at first base in New York’s lineup against Rays left-hander Matt Moore. Jayson Nix remained in at third base.

Phil Hughes will be on the mound tonight for his third start of the season as the Yankees look to complete a three-game Interleague sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and manager Joe Girardi has a checklist of what he will be looking for from the right-hander.

“I think first and foremost, fastball command,” Girardi said. “He needs to have his off-speed pitches. The last start, he didn’t really have those. It made it even more difficult when he didn’t have his command. He needs to be able to combine all his pitches and work efficiently.”

Hughes has allowed eight earned runs in seven innings to the Tigers and Orioles, a 10.29 ERA. He’ll be opposed by left-hander Patrick Corban, who is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA for Arizona, and Girardi said that having Hughes pitch on normal rest should help.

“I feel better about his start,” Girardi said. “It’s kind of getting normal for him; we’ve kind of had a weird schedule in the beginning. He had the back issue in spring training which halted his spring training, he had to restart, he had to come back early because our bullpen was a little messed up. For him, this has to feel more normal than any start that he’s had.”

Other notes and quotes as the Yankees look for their eighth win in nine games:

• You’ve probably heard plenty about Derek Jeter already, but we’ll go over it one more time here. A CT scan taken today in Charlotte, N.C. revealed a small, new fracture in Jeter’s surgically repaired left ankle, and GM Brian Cashman said that Jeter is now not expected to rejoin the Yankees until after the All-Star break. Jeter won’t need surgery but he needs approximately four to eight weeks for the bone to heal so they can try again.
• In the meantime, Cashman said the Yankees will stick with Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix at shortstop – in part because they’ve done a good job, and also because this isn’t the ideal time of year to go shopping. 
• Who would have predicted we’d be debating if Jeter, Alex Rodriguez or Michael Pineda would appear in a game at the big league level first?
• Chien-Ming Wang is making his first Triple-A start of the year tomorrow for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
• The Yankees have outscored their opponents 51-19 over their last eight games. Yankees starters have posted a 2.57 ERA over that stretch.
• Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez is throwing out tonight’s ceremonial first pitch.
• On this date in 1923: First game at the original Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth hits a three-run homer as the Yankees defeat the Red Sox, 4-1, which of course is where the whole “House that Ruth Built” phrase started.

A CT scan taken on Yankees captain Derek Jeter has revealed a small fracture in the area of his original left ankle injury, according to general manager Brian Cashman, and Jeter is now not expected to rejoin the Yankees until after the All-Star break.

Jeter traveled to Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday to be seen by Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed his left ankle surgery in October. Jeter is not expected to need a new surgical procedure, just time to allow the bone to heal. Cashman said that could take anywhere from four to eight weeks.

“Derek Jeter has been having obviously issues with the ankle,” Cashman said. “He saw Dr. Anderson today back in Charlotte who is the operating physician and the lead physician on this. They did a new CT scan which revealed a small crack in the area of the previous injury. We have to back off and let that heal. This is obviously a setback. In terms of speculating when we might see Derek back with us, you’d be looking at sometime after the All-Star break.”

Jeter has not played in a game since March 23 and has been mostly limited to taking ground balls and batting practice at the club’s Tampa complex.

Girardi said that Jeter’s visit to Anderson was not scheduled. Jeter worked out on Wednesday in Tampa; asked if there was an injury that prompted Thursday’s visit, Girardi said, “Put two and two together.”

“He is obviously the toughest one we’ve ever had,” Cashman said. “You know when Derek Jeter continues to have issues that don’t go away, you know that means more than just your typical something.”

Cashman said that Jeter will speak to the media next week in New York. He said that Jeter is handling the setback “like a pro.”

“He’s like, ‘I’ll see you in four to six weeks,’” Cashman said. “He’ll never let anyone see any area of weakness or problem. His attitude is, you’re going to see me sooner than later.”