It appears David Robertson won't get a chance to redeem himself on Thursday, one day after blowing his first save since taking over the closer role for the injured Mariano Rivera.

"I need our guys to play catch and see how they feel," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, three hours before Thursday night's game against the Rays. "For me, he’s doubtful. But I’ll talk to him after he goes out there today."

The reason is not because Robertson gave up four runs in 2/3 of an inning on Wednesday. The reason is, Robertson has pitched two days in a row -- 25 pitches on Tuesday, 19 more on Wednesday. He has never pitched three days in a row in his major league career.

Girardi also said he has not lost any confidence in Robertson, despite the blown save. "I don’t have any question in my mind that he’s gonna bounce back," Girardi said. "He’s had to bounce back before, and he’s done it, and I’ve seen it, and I’ve seen bouts when he’s went through struggles for a couple days and he’s gotten back up and done a wonderful job for us."

As for who would close for the Yankees on Thursday night, if need be, Rafael Soriano is the most likely candidate -- even though he has throw the past two nights as well, 26 pitches on Tuesday and 13 on Wednesday.

"Sori has worked more in this role during his career, in a sense," Girardi said. "So I’ll check to see how he feels."

With CC Sabathia on the mound for the Yankees, a closer may not be necessary -- Sabathia has gone eight innings deep in each of his past three starts (all wins), and is certainly capable of going the distance.