Pushing back CC has wild-card perk
Joe Girardi said moving CC Sabathia to Tuesday against the Twins is designed to keep the lefty’s right knee from taking the pounding of the Rogers Centre’s turf later in the week.
Originally slated to start Sunday against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium, Sabathia was switched to Tuesday after the Yankees hammered the O’s, 9-3, on Saturday. Sonny Gray will face the Orioles on Sunday and Jaime Garcia will open a three-game series versus the Twins on Monday.
However, a by-product of the move is that the Yankees can set up ace Luis Severino to start the AL wild-card game Oct. 3. Severino’s next start is likely Friday night in Toronto. From there the Yankees could start him Sept. 27 and have him on five days rest for the wild-card tilt.
“We are trying to keep CC off that turf. Yes, is his [right] knee OK? Yes. Are there concerns always about his knee? Yes,’’ Girardi said. “It won’t change his amount of starts, but it will keep him off the turf.’’
➤ Aaron Judge scored ahead of Didi Gregorius’ homer in the third inning for his 30th run against the Orioles this season. He is the first major league player to score at least 30 runs against an opponent in a season since Mickey Mantle scored 30 runs against the Kansas City A’s in 1956.
➤ Chase Headley extended a season-high hitting streak to 14 games with a sixth-inning single. That is two games shy of the switchhitter’s career best. Headley is hitting .364 (20-for-55) during the streak.
➤ Adam Warren was slated to throw a baseball Saturday for the first time since Sept. 1 when he suffered lower back spasms and landed on the disabled list.
The right-handed reliever’s goal is to get into games be- fore the regular season ends Oct. 1, but Warren understands the importance of being truthful about how he feels.
“I am hoping to get a couple of outings before the season ends,’’ Warren said. “But I have to be honest how I feel.’’
➤ Third baseman Miguel Andujar and right-handed reliever Jonathan Holder were recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Andujar went 0-for-1 Saturday, grounding out in the eighth.
➤ Saturday’s victory was the Yankees’ 82nd of the season. That clinched their 25th straight winning year.