Yankees: Surprise, the team will be coming “home” soon

The Yankees are cutting short their long road trip and will be “home” to play Tampa Bay beginning on Monday at Citi Field. This, to make way for the expected land fall by Irma throughout the state of Florida.

The Yankees wish it didn’t happen this way but at this point in the season, they’ll take anything they can get. As a precaution for the safety of all, Major League Baseball, together with the Yankees and Rays, are moving the three games scheduled to begin on Monday to New York City.

Seemingly, the league made the move out of desperation and not desire. The vacated venue at Camden Yards might have MLB’s first choice, but ultimately, only the Big Apple had hotel accommodations to suit the needs of the Rays and their entourage on short notice.

Citi Field is viewed as the neutral it is, but the advantage to the Yankees is a godsend if only for the fact the team will be sleeping in their own beds, instead of not getting home until late Wednesday night.

Yankees didn’t give in

Reportedly, the Yankees had previously denied a request from the league to flip-flop the two remaining series between the teams, meaning this series would have been played at Yankee Stadium, while the team’s next to last series of the season would have been switched from New York to Tampa. The Yankees said, no way. Good for them.

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In an odd way, though, the owners of the Rays, if not their players, should be delirious about the move to New York. And that’s because the Rays as the “home” team will reap the rewards of a crowd that could be as much as three times what they normally draw in that sorry mistake for a baseball venue in Tampa.

Some team in the league and I’m just waiting to see who is going to cry “foul”, raising a fussy wussy about the fortunes of the Yankees in the face of an impending disaster in these United States. There’s no way it’ll be the Red Sox, though, they have too much integrity.

Other Yankees News

The news on another front is not so good. CC Sabathia will be skipped in his scheduled start on Tuesday due to what the Yankees are calling “just a maintenance issue” for his balking knee.

Joe Girardi explains to the New York Post:

"“He will join us in Texas. He went to see the doctor, just trying to keep up on that,” manager Joe Girardi said before Thursday’s 9-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards. “As far as his knee, it is fine but he talked about the maintenance program, staying ahead of it, and that’s what they are trying to do.”Girardi said Sabathia is staying on schedule but added: “I am not sure [what that schedule] is though now.’’"

Sounds more like “Stengelese” but Girardi clearly leaves open the question as to what his rotation will be after Jaime Garcia makes the start following Luis Severino, who follows Masahiro Tanaka‘s start tonight against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

Gary Sanchez will be in uniform tonight to face the Rangers, having completed his three-game suspension. There’s no word on the fate of Austin Romine‘s one-game suspension.

Girardi also was noncommittal regarding his choice of closers, telling the Post, “I don’t know yet,” Girardi said. “I will look at everything. I think I have a lot of options.’’

Next: Yankees in danger of burning Aaron Judge out

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