Yankees' Sunday starter depends in part on Corey Kluber's performance Saturday
Corey Kluber of the Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Orioles at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Corey Kluber started Saturday night against the Mets, and Aaron Boone indicated his performance would impact who takes the mound Sunday night in the series finale at Citi Field.
"We'll see," Boone said of his starter plans for Sunday. "[Let’s] get through tonight and then kind of finalize [things]."
Boone said Clarke Schmidt, who has been rehabbing the flexor strain in his right forearm that had sidelined him since early in spring training, is one option.
A second option Boone mentioned, which quickly set social media afire among the Yankees' fan base, is lefthander Andrew Heaney, who has, to put it mildly, not been good since being acquired at the trade deadline.
Heaney, a fly-ball pitcher who gave up a lot of home runs with the Angels, has continued to be a fly-ball pitcher who gives up a lot of home runs with the Yankees (11 in 30 1/3 innings).
"Could be a bullpen [game]," Boone said. "We’ll get through tonight and make that call tomorrow."
Carlos Carrasco (1-2, 5.88) is scheduled to start for the Mets on Sunday night.
Cole still on target for Tuesday
Gerrit Cole, who came out of Tuesday’s start in the fourth inning with tightness in his left hamstring, was slated to throw a bullpen session before Saturday’s game.
"If all goes well there, then hopefully [he’ll return] early next week," Boone said, later adding the probability that it would be Tuesday in Baltimore.
On the field here Friday, Cole said he felt "pretty confident" with how the hamstring was feeling.
"I haven’t had anything that’s made me apprehensive to move," he said.
German rehab-ready
Boone said Domingo German, 4-5 with a 4.45 ERA before landing on the injured list Aug. 1 with right shoulder inflammation, will start a rehab assignment with a yet-to-be-determined minor-league affiliate Tuesday.
As for Taillon . . .
The news wasn’t as positive for Jameson Taillon, placed on the IL Tuesday with a slight tear in a tendon in his right ankle. Boone said he still was "pretty sore" on Friday.
Earlier in the week, Boone said the injury "sounded worse than it is" and didn’t rule out the possibility that Taillon might miss only one start. Now it would seem as if he will be fortunate to get back by the end of the season.
The righthander is 8-6 with a 4.41 ERA in 27 starts. He was 6-0 with a 2.11 ERA in a 10-start stretch from June 18-Aug. 9, then went 1-2 with a 7.01 ERA in his last five starts before ending up on the IL.
Sanchez sits
Gary Sanchez, whose defensive lapse in the first inning Friday cost the Yankees a run, did not start Saturday night with Kluber on the mound. Boone said Sanchez was fine and that it was a matter of wanting to get Kyle Higashioka, who has been paired quite a bit with Kluber, into a game.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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