CC doesn’t object to early hook
Not even CC Sabathia could argue with Joe Girardi this time.
Sabathia is normally visibly upset whenever Girardi comes to get him during an inning, but the lefty didn’t put up a fight even though there was just one out in the fifth inning Monday night and the Yankees held a four-run lead.
Sabathia had thrown 88 pitches when Girardi pulled him after a one-out single by Trevor Plouffe sent up Evan Longoria, who has beaten up Sabathia over the years.
Girardi’s move worked, as David Robertson came on to strike out Longoria and then Lucas Duda to end the fifth and the Yankees ended up winning, 5-1 at Citi Field in a game moved from St. Petersburg, Fla. because of Hurricane Irma.
“It’s [Longoria],” Sabathia said. “He’s hitting like .900 off me, so I understand it. We got the win. That’s all that matters. [The bullpen] is the strength of our team. We have confidence in all of them out there.”
Sabathia was exaggerating Longoria’s success against him — but only slightly. The third baseman entered Monday hitting .421 (32-for-76) against Sabathia, with nine doubles, eight homers and 15 walks.
Sabathia had already retired Longoria twice Monday on groundouts and Girardi didn’t want to take any chances.
“I feel that was the game and I went to him,” Girardi said of going to Robertson so early. “When you look at Longoria’s numbers against CC, he got him out twice and I didn’t feel like pressing my luck.” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash called the strategy “brilliant.”
“When you have the relievers and you have a certain style of pitcher, why not do it?” Cash said of the quick hook. “It’s an advantage. It’s proven over baseball that different looks challenge oppos- ing lineups. Robertson, [Dellin] Betances and [Aroldis] Chapman are gonna challenge [you] whenever they’re pitching, but the buy-in to get that done has been pretty impressive.”
Sabathia gave up six hits and walked two.
“He was not sharp,” Girardi said. “He worked so hard and had to battle all night. ... Longoria’s been a guy who has probably hurt him as much as anyone in the game.”
Sabathia, who traveled from Baltimore to New York to visit team physician Chris Ahmad following his previous start to have his surgically repaired right knee drained, said he was fine physically.
In that outing against the Orioles, Girardi let Sabathia start the sixth and it backfired, as Sabathia surrendered a two-run shot to Mark Trumbo that contributed to a comeback win for Baltimore.
Against the Rays, Sabathia allowed a two-out triple to Adeiny Hechavarria that scored Duda from first to give the Rays a 1-0 lead in the second.
After that, though, Sabathia pitched around a pair of singles in both the third and fourth innings as the Yankees used a five-run top of the fourth to take the lead for good.
Fifty-five minutes before the start of Monday night’s 5-1 Yankees win over the Rays at Citi Field, Greg Bird was removed from the Yankees’ starting lineup.
When the injury-plagued first baseman will be ready to play again isn’t known.
Slated to hit ninth against Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi, Bird was scratched with what the Yankees described as lower back tightness while the team took batting practice. Joe Girardi and Bird mentioned spasms as the problem.
“[Sunday] before the game and I told them [Monday],’’ Bird said when asked when he felt something.’’
Bird, who went 0-for-5 Sunday, didn’t know when he would return.
“Give it a few days and see where I am at,’’ he said.
With the Rays starting lefty Blake Snell on Tuesday, Girardi likely wasn’t going to play Bird. Now the question becomes when Bird will be available.
Jacoby Ellsbury reached base on catcher’s interference in the five-run fourth inning and became the all-time leader in that depart- ment with 30. He was tied with Pete Rose going into the game.
“I told Ellsbury we have to take a picture and send it to Pete,’’ said Todd Frazier who followed that with a three-run homer. He has six career home runs in 20 games at Citi Field.
Gary Sanchez was charged with his 15th passed ball in the sixth inning, but David Robertson said the blame belonged to him.
“I crossed up Gary and nearly drilled him with a fastball,’’ Robertson said.
Clint Frazier had to know if the left oblique muscle could survive a maximum swing.
So, during a minor league rehab assignment with Double-A Trenton that ended Monday night, the right-handed hitting outfielder felt it was vital to test the muscle to give him peace of mind.
“The main thing I was doing down there was swinging as hard as I could to make sure I was good,’’ said Frazier, who went on the DL Aug. 9. “I wasn’t focused on my approach and the results showed. I swung and missed enough to realize I was physically good.’’
Frazier came through four games in the Eastern League playoffs without a problem. He went 2-for-17 (.118) and struck out 10 times.
“I had to know. I literally swung as hard as I could as many times as I could and there is no doubt in my mind the oblique is healed,’’ Frazier said.
Girardi, with input from the medical staff, feels the same way and plans on inserting Frazier into the lineup Tuesday.
“He will be back in there [Tuesday] and there is a chance I will play him on Wednesday to get another outfielder a day off to try and keep these guys fresh,’’ Girardi said of Frazier, who missed 31 games.
With 30 homers, Gary Sanchez is tied with Jorge Posada and Yogi Berra for the most single-season homers by a Yankees catcher in club history with a minimum of 50 percent of his games played behind the plate.
Since Aug. 11 Ellsbury has hit in 16 of 18 games he has started and is hitting .328 (21-for-64) with three homers and 15 RBIs.