Yankees fire strength coach

The New York Yankees fired their strength and conditioning coach Wednesday after a rash of injuries to the pitching staff that has contributed to the team’s poor start.

Marty Miller was hired by the Yankees in the off-season as director of performance enhancement. He had been with the club only a few months.

“It got to the point where the perception is there’s a problem here,” General Manager Brian Cashman said.

Miller, 34, will be replaced on an interim basis by Dana Cavalea, who was Miller’s assistant.

The latest injury to New York’s depleted staff came Tuesday, when Phil Hughes carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before a hamstring injury knocked him out of the game against the Texas Rangers. The 20-year-old right-hander is expected to miss at least four weeks.

Hughes joins pitchers Mike Mussina (hamstring), Carl Pavano (forearm) and Jeff Karstens (broken right leg) on the disabled list.

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The Cleveland Indians’ protest of their 7-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles was denied. The Indians protested Saturday night’s game after the umpires awarded a run to the Orioles three innings after initially waving it off.