Ian Kennedy was in the minority when it came to any lingering bad blood between the Rays and Yankees surfacing when they open a four-game series at Yankee Stadium tonight. Though most Yankees who were asked if there was a chance for the spring training feud to reignite said they didn’t think that was going to happen, tonight’s starter left the door ajar.
“There probably is, who knows,” Kennedy said. “We will see [tonight] how everything goes. I thought it would be over, but we will see [tonight].”
The ill will between the clubs started on March 8 when Tampa Bay’s Elliot Johnson (likely to DH tomorrow) ran over catching prospect Francisco Cervelli at home plate and fractured Cervelli’s arm.
Four days Later, Shelley Duncan went into second baseman Akinori Iwamura with his cleats high. That brought Jonny Gomes in from right field and he shoved Duncan. That resulted in the dugouts being cleared.
Melky Cabrera and Duncan were suspended for three games and fined $2,500 and $3,000, respectively. Gomes was suspended for two games and docked $2,000. Cabrera and Duncan have their appeal hearings scheduled for Monday.
“There is no reason in the world to think about the past,” said Duncan, who will likely get his first start of the season tonight against righty Andy Sonnanstine. “It hasn’t crossed my mind.”
Jorge Posada, who missed a second straight game last night with a sore right shoulder, said the Yankees aren’t going to go soft just because it’s Tampa Bay in the other dugout.
“We will see, we will play the game hard and we know what to expect from those guys,” the catcher said. “You have to play hard no matter if it’s Tampa, Boston or Toronto.”
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Even though a fellow pitcher wrote “Thanks for the P.F.P’s Moose” on the grease board attached to Mike Mussina‘s locker, the extra fielding practice for pitchers held yesterday wasn’t punishment for Mussina being late covering first base in Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to Toronto.
“It was planned last week,” said manager Joe Girardi, who will hold the drills from time to time during homestands.
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Johnny Damon was the DH last night as the Yanks beat the Blue Jays, 3-2, and Hideki Matsui started in left field for the first time. The switch was made to prepare Matsui for left field duty next week when the Yankees expect to be without Cabrera, who likely will be suspended.
“They want him ready to play left,” said Damon, who would replace Cabrera in center.
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Andy Pettitte is getting itchy sitting around.
“This is my 14th year and I don’t know if I have ever started a game later than Game 1 or Game 2,” said Pettitte, who is slated to come off the DL to start tomorrow. “It’s been kind of disappointing, but in the long run I know I needed extra days.”
When Pettitte (back spasms) comes off the shelf right-handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo is the favorite to be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.