There will be no shortage of eyes on the Yankees starting pitchers in Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader against the Cubs.
In the first game, Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound after Tuesday’s rainout altered his meticulously planned schedule. In the nightcap, Michael Pineda will pitch for the first time since a sticky-looking substance was picked up by TV cameras in his last outing against Boston.
Tanaka tweeted that he hadn’t played in a doubleheader since high school.
An extra day between starts actually may be beneficial for Tanaka, because he’s still adjusting to pitching every five days — unlike every seven days in Japan. Where it could become tricky is in his next start. He was lined up to pitch Sunday in Tampa Bay, but now likely will be pushed back until Tuesday against the Red Sox in Fenway Park so he doesn’t pitch on short rest.
The Yankees — as well as the Red Sox — downplayed the Pineda situation, but Pineda removed what he said was dirt and sweat but looked a lot like pine tar to most observers, after the fourth inning.
Tickets for Tuesday’s game can be used for Wednesday’s day game or exchanged for any regular-season game at Yankee Stadium in the next 12 months, subject to availability. … The Rays also were rained out Tuesday and said David Price will start against the Yankees in the series opener in Tampa Bay.
GM Brian Cashman said Derek Jeter’s tight right quad was “not considered serious” and the shortstop is expected to play one of the two games of the doubleheader.
“We’re just being smart about it,” Cashman said. “Could he have played Sunday? Yes. We expected him to be ready to go if we played [Tuesday] and the same is true for [Wednesday]. And an extra day off at this stage isn’t bad.”
Red Sox manager John Farrell was fined an undisclosed amount, according to reports, for his criticism of baseball’s new review system after Sunday night’s game against the Yankees.
During Saturday’s game, replay failed to overturn a safe call against the Yankees’ Dean Anna, though Anna’s foot had come off the bag while he was being tagged by Rex Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Sunday night, an out call against Francisco Cervelli was overturned, giving the Yankees a run. Farrell was thrown out of the game for arguing the call.
“It’s hard to have any faith in the system,” Farrell said Sunday night.
Also postponed Tuesday was the press conference honoring Nelson Mandela and Jackie Robinson. That will be held instead on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., and a pregame ceremony will take place prior to the regularly scheduled game at 7:05 p.m.
While the extra off day may have been welcome for some, Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury wouldn’t agree.
Beltran went 5-for-8 with four RBIs and three runs scored in his previous two games and homered in consecutive games for the first time since last May. Ellsbury has continued his torrid stretch at the plate, with a .990 OPS since starting the season 0-for-7.