Mar 28, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the second inning at Yankee Stadium. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees know they will be without Giancarlo Stanton for a few weeks. They are holding their breath for a similar outcome for Miguel Andujar.
In the meantime, they will attempt to press on without one of their big sluggers and their starting third baseman Tuesday night when they continue a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers.
The Yankees opened the series with a 3-1 victory on Monday night when Gary Sanchez and Brett Gardner hit solo homers. The result of Monday was the only good news of the day.
Before the game, the Yankees put Stanton on the injured list with a strained left biceps and Andujar on the injured list with a strained right shoulder. Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton’s injury is a Grade One and not too serious and is holding his breath for Andujar.
After the Yankees picked up their second win of the season, Boone said Andujar has a small labrum team and that it will be treated conservatively for a few weeks. If treatment does not succeed, surgery could occur and could compromise Andujar’s season but Boone is optimistic just rehab would be needed.
“That’s a tough one, especially the labrum,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “Anything in the shoulder is pretty complicated. We’ll see how it turns out. He’s a tough individual. He’ll fight through it, no matter how long it is and come back stronger than ever.”
Stanton and Andujar became the latest players to join a crowded injury list that already includes Luis Severino, Dellin Betances, Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks.
“We’re talking about really good players that we’re missing that are a big part of our club but one of the things (is) we feel like we are equipped to handle this,” Boone said Monday afternoon. “Especially in some of these cases that we believe are going to be in the grand scheme of things on a short-term basis, I feel like we have a club capable of weathering that storm.”
One of the ways the Yankees will cope with the injuries is by playing Clint Frazier and using DJ LeMahieu at third while adding Tyler Wade to the mix after recalling the infielder on Monday.
While the Yankees are coping with injuries, the Tigers are trying to figure out ways to get their offense going.
Detroit mustered two hits Monday, wasted seven walks by going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and is batting .140 through five games. The Tigers have not scored more than four runs through the first five games of the season for the first time since 2003 when they lost 119 games.
On Monday, their big chance occurred with two on and nobody out in the eighth but Judge made a diving catch on a sinking liner by Niko Goodrum.
“We just couldn’t come up with a big one tonight,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I don’t even remember us really having that big of a chance until that line drive out there where we hit a rocket and he ended up making a diving play but we just didn’t come up with any good swings tonight.
After five pitchers combined on a two-hitter Monday, Masahiro Tanaka makes his second start on Tuesday after an effective season debut on Thursday. Tanaka began his sixth season with the Yankees by allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Tanaka has experienced mixed results against the Tigers, especially in New York. He is 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA in six starts against Detroit and is 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts against the Tigers in New York.
The right-hander last faced the Tigers on Sept. 1 in New York when he allowed one run on seven hits over seven innings in a 2-1 victory.
The Tigers will counter with Jordan Zimmermann, who began his fifth season with Detroit by carrying a perfect game for 6 2/3 innings and getting a no-decision in Thursday’s 10-inning win at Toronto. During his initial start of the season, Zimmermann did not throw a fastball over 92 mph and 45 of his 70 pitches were off-speed offerings, though only one was a changeup.
The right-hander has done well against the Yankees, going 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA and is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two starts in New York. He last faced the Yankees on Aug. 31 in New York when he allowed four runs (one earned) and three hits in six innings in a no-decision.
