Youk in an uncomfortable spot

Kevin Youkilis was about as upfront as he could be with reporters when he was asked about how he felt about being given the night off - at least from the starting lineup on Saturday night.

“I just had an off day,” Youkilis said of his day off on Thursday, which he shared with the rest of the team. “I feel good right now. My body feels fine. I usually don’t need an off day.”I don’t get too many off days so I don’t know how to deal with them.

“I watch the game the same way,” he added. “If I’m not playing, I still watch the game. I understand what’s going on and watch what pitchers do and watch what hitters are doing and help out any way I can.”

Indeed, he spoke honestly about just how hard it is for him to watch from the dugout. Even more difficult is thinking about possibly pinch-hitting.

“The key to pinch-hitting is not thinking and just go up there,” Youkilis said. “There’s no key to pinch-hitting. You just go up there and try to have a good at-bat. It’s the worst thing to do in all of baseball - for me.

“It’s not fun and you’ve just got to go up there and try to have a good at-bat. You get one shot, you don’t have four. You just have to jump on something that straight.”

Red Sox skipper Terry Francona, speaking moments later, said no one should get the idea that Youk, one night after a three strikeout performance against Baltimore, is being demoted into a platoon with Mike Lowell and newcomer Adam LaRoche, who got his first start at first on Saturday.

“This isn’t going to be like a rotation,” Francona said. “Youk is our first baseman/third baseman, like Happy Gilmore. I just thought he was a little beat up, and he’s hit a few balls off his leg and he’s been missing  a little. I just thought it was a good night to go ahead and do it.”

Then there’s the trading deadline coming up next Friday. Asked if he worries about getting dealt, despite signing a four-year, $40 million contract last winter, the answer was pretty predictable.

“I don’t worry about it with myself,” he said. “I feel like I’ll be here and if not, I’ll be somewhere else. I don’t lose sleep over it. It’s not really that big a deal if you think about it. Some guys get all worked up and bent out of shape about it but you can’t control it. The only thing you can control is what you do out on the field. If you get into all of that, worry, then your head and thoughts are going to be somewhere you’re not going to help the team.

“For me, it’s all about going out there and getting your work done and play the game and win ballgames. Whatever happens, happens. It’s out of your control, unless if you have a no-trade clause, then it’s in your control a little bit more.”