Jordan Montgomery was back on the mound Wednesday, three days after taking a come-backer to the side of his left knee and needing to drain the fluid from it. The left-hander threw his regularly scheduled bullpen hours before the Yankees played the Blue Jays at the Stadium.
“He should be good,” Aaron Boone said. “I just talked to (pitching coach Matt Blake) actually, before I walked in. He said it went well.”
Montgomery, who is scheduled to make his next start on Friday in Baltimore, ran in the outfield and then did pitchers fielding practice covering first base. He didn’t run hard, but moved fine.
The lefty was hit in the first inning of Sunday night’s loss to the Red Sox. He hobbled off the mound, dropped to the ground and was in obvious pain. Montgomery was able to get back on the mound and finish his night, but was very sore and swollen on Monday. The Yankees sent him to get an MRI and CT scan and had fluid drained from the knee.
Montgomery went 3.1 innings Sunday night, allowing three runs, all earned, on four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
RIZZO AT THE TOP
Anthony Rizzo led off for the Yankees for the first time this season Wednesday night. It’s the 66th time in his career he started a game batting first. The lineup change was because Boone wanted to give Giancarlo Stanton a night off.
“Just getting some space in there,” Boone said. “Obviously not having G in there tonight. I just spaced out my lefties in the lineup. I like him up there in this matchup.”
Stanton played in all five previous games. Boone is trying to be careful as the Yankees start the season with 10 straight games after a spring training that was shortened by the owners’ lockout.
“It was maybe going to be the other night but I wanted to push through and just kind of continued to check with him,” Boone said. “So it was either going to be the first game or the third game in the series. Definitely wanted him in there last night against the lefty. So just kind of trying to plan out these first 10 games.”
Stanton has just eight career at-bats against Toronto’s Wednesday night starter Jose Berrios and just one hit.
Rizzo, who has never faced Berrios, is the only infielder without a full day off yet.
“He DH’ed, that’s kind of like a day off,” Boone said with a laugh. Rizzo is the third player Boone’s had leading off this season — Josh Donaldson did it four times and DJ LeMahieu once.
Rizzo reached base in all five games and is hitting .250/.455/.688.
EMPATHY FOR A MANAGER
Boone felt for Dave Roberts.
Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers’ manager went out to get future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who took a perfect game through seven innings.
Kershaw threw just 80 pitches at that point.
The left-hander has a no-hitter under his belt, but hasn’t thrown a perfect game. Just 23 true perfect games have been thrown in MLB history.
Kershaw was pulled for Dodgers’ reliever Alex Vesia, who gave up a hit to newly minted Twin, Gary Sanchez, and then walked Max Kepler.
The Dodgers still went on to beat the Twins, 7-0.
Boone can empathize with how hard that was for Roberts.
“It’s impossible to know everything involved. You know? Every case is a little bit different,” Boone said. “Every pitcher is a little bit different. It’s a tough call.
“Without all the particulars, which we can’t possibly know, it’s hard to make a judgment call either way. You know, I know Doc well and I know it’s not something that he’s gonna like.”
Kershaw took some of the pressure off Roberts by telling reporters after the game it was “the right decision.”
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