Touch 'Em All: Mariano Rivera would pick Pedroia over Cano

Say it ain't so, Mo.

Retired Yankees closer Mariano Rivera would take Boston's Dustin Pedroia over former teammate Robinson Cano as his top second baseman.

"There is no doubt that he is a Hall of Fame-caliber talent," Rivera said about Cano in his new book, The Closer: My Story, published Tuesday. "It's just a question of whether he finds the drive that you need to get there."

"I don't think Robby burns to be the best," Rivera said. "I think he's content to enjoy the game and help his team and go home. You don't see the red-hot passion in him that you see in most elite players."

Baseball's career-saves leader played nine seasons with Cano. Rivera retired after last season, and Cano signed with the Seattle Mariners in the offseason.

Rivera played against Pedroia for eight years.

"Nobody plays harder, gives more, wants to win more. He comes at you hard for 27 outs, every time. It's a special thing to see, a little guy like that who is willing to do whatever it takes," Rivera said. "If I have to win one game, I'd have a hard time taking anybody over Dustin Pedroia as my second baseman."

Cano, before Tuesday's game against Oakland, responded, "That's his opinion and I have to respect his opinion. . . . My focus right now is this team. I'm here, we're winning. I was over there already, and now I'm here, and now I'm focused on the team."

In the book, written with New York Daily News reporter Wayne Coffey, Rivera said there has been a decrease in atmosphere at home games since the move to new Yankee Stadium for the 2009 season.

"It doesn't hold noise, or home-team fervor, anywhere near the way the old place did," he said. "The old Stadium was our 10th man - a loud and frenzied cauldron of pinstriped passion, with a lot of lifers in the stands. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's hard to see that the new place can ever quite duplicate that."

Starting pitcher Michael Pineda completed his 10-game suspension for using pine tar, but he was put on the 15-day disabled list with a right-shoulder muscle injury. He was hurt last week in a simulated game. The Yankees said they expected Pineda to be sidelined three to four weeks.

Infielder Brendan Ryan will fill Pineda's roster spot. Ryan was sidelined since spring training with a cervical-spine nerve injury.

Indians centerfielder and leadoff hitter Michael Bourn was out of the lineup for the third consecutive game with a tight left hamstring.

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was out of the starting lineup for the second straight game because of back spasms.

A game that was postponed by rain April 28 will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on July 8 in Cincinnati.