DELAY OF GAMES
Boone sanguine despite constant rainouts for Yanks
BALTIMORE — Rain has been a constant enemy for the Yankees this season, but Aaron Boone isn’t screaming at a crying sky.
“It is what it is, you try to make the best of it. Get ready to go [Friday],” Boone said after Thursday night’s game against the Orioles at Camden Yards was postponed by rain. It will be made up as a single-admission doubleheader on July 9 with the first game beginning at 4:05 p.m.
The Yankees have had six games affected by weather a total of eight times this season, including the snowed-out home opener (April 2), two games in Detroit (April 14-15) postponed a total of three times, their May 15 game in Washington suspended, the postponement of that game’s resumption as well as their May 16 game and Thursday’s game against the Orioles.
Sonny Gray was slated to start Thursday night. After the postponement, Boone and his staff met to map out the starting pitching plans for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the doubleheader against the Tigers on Monday in Detroit.
Boone said the decisions would be made within 15 minutes after the game was called following almost a two-hour delay, but they weren’t announced until 10:37. Boone initially wanted to give Gary Sanchez two days off this week. But after using the struggling catcher as designated hitter Wednesday night, the plan was altered. The manager figured a day and a half away from behind the plate would serve Sanchez well and he didn’t put him in Thursday’s lineup.
Sanchez left a game on May 22 at Texas with cramps in his right leg and didn’t start the following game, but Boone said the leg hasn’t been an issue.
“He has been doing really well. He has been getting treatment and he has been catching well,’’ Boone said of Sanchez, who is mired in a 2- for-22 (.091) slump and had four extra base hits (two homers, two doubles) since May 4. “This stretch of games that we are in I want to be mindful, especially in the catching situation.’’ Before the rainout, Austin Romine was to be paired with Gray for the seventh straight start even after the right-hander lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up five runs and seven hits in his last outing against the Angels with Romine behind the plate.
While Boone said at the start of the season that he isn’t a fan of personal catchers, Romine has evolved into Gray’s catcher after Sanchez and Gray together didn’t work well in two April starts, when Gray’s ERA was 15.63. Gray’s ERA throwing to Romine is 4.57 in eight starts.
While Sanchez has struggled at the plate and behind it, Romine is on a 13-for-32 (.406) hot streak.
When Jonathan Holder was sent to Triple-A Scranton/WilkesBarre on April 7 it was easy to see why because in the last two of three relief appearances, the right-hander gave up six earned runs and six hits in 2 ¹/3 innings.
However, since being recalled on April 21, he has sparkled to the point Boone has trusted him in more important situations.
In 13 games, Holder, who will turn 25 on June 9, has worked 15 2/3 innings, allowed five hits, no earned runs, struck out 16 and walked two. In addition, hitters are batting .098 with a .247 OPS.
Holder credits working in more sliders than curveballs after returning from SWB.
“Trying to command my fastball and play it off the slider,’’ Holder said. “I shaped it up better.’’
Boone, who has been without reliever Adam Warren since April 21 with a strained back, has noticed the work Holder has done.
“He has been a real factor for us in a lot of different roles, high leverage [spots] where he has gotten big outs,’’ Boone said. “He comes in pounding that strike zone and pitches with a lot of confidence in all his pitches and it shows.’’