Manager Joe Girardi hopes Mark Teixeira can return during the team’s upcoming seven-game road trip.

The Yankees first baseman has been out since Sept. 8 with a strained right calf.

“I hope so. I can’t tell you,” Girardi said. “It really all depends on what happens in Florida and how well it goes. He’s had more time (off) this time than the last time, and feels pretty good. I hope so.”

Teixeira hopes to start ramping up his baseball activity at the team’s complex in Tampa on Monday. He did jogging on Saturday.

“Grounders aren't going to be a problem, hitting's not going to be a problem,” Teixeira explained Saturday. “It's when you have to accelerate, hit that first step, or maybe a jog to a run. If I overload it ... it feels a little tight, a little sore.”

• Hiroki Kuroda wasn’t Mr. Reliable on Sunday. The 37-year-old righty was tagged for five runs (four earned) on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. He also tied his season-high with two wild pitches.

In four September starts, he’s 2-1 with a 5.63 ERA. He has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his last three starts at Yankee Stadium.

“His command was off a little bit,” Girardi said. “He left some offspeed pitches in the middle of the plate, which you don’t want to do. But he’s keeping us in the game, that’s the bottom line.”

• Girardi said that Andy Pettitte will be on an 85-90 pitch count on Monday night in Minnesota, but they could “push the issue” a little bit depending on how the 40-year-old left-hander performs and feels.

• Brett Gardner thinks he could be activated from the DL “soon.”

“My body feels like it’s March, but my mind feels like it’s October,” he said.

• Girardi was upset about first-base umpire Larry Vanover’s missed call at first prior to Cliff Pennington’s two-run homer in the second. Replays showed Eduardo Nunez appeared to throw out Josh Donaldson, but Vanover ruled him safe.

“It’s one run, and we lost by one run,” Girardi said. “I thought he was out by about a step. I didn’t even think it was close. (Larry) thought he beat it. I never saw the replay, but you can hear the reaction from the crowd, and that usually tells you what the replay is, and it’s unfortunate.”