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NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have two games remaining against the Cleveland Indians before a crucial four-game series with the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox.
Those six games will now be played over a five-day span.
A steady rain and unseasonably cool temperatures led the Yankees to postpone their game Tuesday against the AL Central leaders. A single-admission doubleheader was scheduled for Wednesday. The teams don’t have any common off days the rest of the season.
Manager Joe Girardi wasn’t looking forward to the potential toll a doubleheader might have on his team before the Red Sox series. Boston led New York by 3 ½ games entering Tuesday night.
“You could realistically use six or seven relievers in a doubleheader,” he said. “Some guys are probably going to have to play 18 innings. ... From a physical standpoint, that takes its toll.”
Left-hander Jaime Garcia (1-1, 5.47 ERA) will start game one for New York, while rookie Jordan Montgomery (7-6, 4.00 ERA) will be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start the second game. Montgomery was optioned to the minors on August 19, when CC Sabathia was activated from the disabled list. Originally scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale, Sabathia will instead pitch against Boston.
“I’m here just to pitch,” Sabathia said. “Whenever they tell me that day is, that’s when I’m going to do.”
The schedule won’t be so kind to the Indians, either. Cleveland will now play two road doubleheaders in a three-day span, with a travel day in between. The Indians have a split doubleheader against Detroit on Friday.
Josh Tomlin, who’s been out with a strained left hamstring, was originally slated to be recalled from the disabled list to start Wednesday, but the right-hander will instead be activated to start either Friday or Sunday against the Tigers.
Trevor Bauer (7-9, 13-8, 4.59 ERA) will oppose Garcia in game one. The right-hander has been outstanding since the All-Star break, allowing one run or less in five of his last six starts. Ryan Merritt (1-0, 1.76 ERA) will start game two. Reliever Dan Otero will be placed on the paternity leave list for the birth of his third child to make room for Merritt on the active roster. Shawn Armstrong will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to serve as Cleveland’s 26th man for the doubleheader.
Entering Tuesday, New York held a three-game lead over Minnesota for the first AL wild card. Cleveland led the Twins by seven games in the AL Central.
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