Bruney moved out of setup role

New York (46-33) vs. Toronto (42-39), 1:05 p.m. ET

Jared Diamond / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Joe Girardi has fielded the same question countless times this week and has had the same answer. It was a pre-programmed response, almost a mantra, that the Yankees manager adopted for a couple days when asked about his current bullpen situation. No matter how the inquiry was spun or phrased, Girardi remained on autopilot, returning to one robotic statement.

"Brian Bruney is our eighth-inning guy," he would say. Clear and concise. Difficult to argue. Simple to understand.

So imagine the surprise when the eighth inning rolled around on Friday afternoon, with the Yankees leading by just one run, and Bruney never left his comfortable seat on the bullpen bench. Instead, Phil Coke and Phil Hughes combined to get through the frame and bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera in an eventual 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays.

Despite Girardi's comments the past several days, it appears Bruney, in fact, is no longer considered the eighth-inning guy. And after the game this time, Girardi went from being a broken record to a man with a whole new plan.

"I said the other day Bruney was our eighth-inning guy, but I need to get him going," Girardi said. "We need to get him right, and we'll get him right. Hughesy is throwing the ball real well right now, and I went to Hughesy."

Bruney missed almost two months of the season with a right elbow injury and has struggled since returning from the disabled list. In his past four appearances, he has allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings on four hits and five walks.

Girardi went to Bruney in the eighth on Tuesday against the Mariners, and he relinquished a two-run lead, beginning the speculation that his role was in jeopardy. That night, Hughes pitched a 1-2-3 seventh and has dominated since being converted to a reliever.

After that game, Girardi defended his decision to bring in Bruney and take out Hughes, saying the eighth was Bruney's job.