DUNEDIN, Fla. – Rougned Odor’s tournament with the Yankees started promisingly.
After hitting Sunday’s win over the Rays, Odor fueled the Yankees’ offense in the 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays with a one-time single in the fifth.
“All of his innings were pretty competitive,” Boone said. ‘I liked how he moved in the field and played a nice double play. He is going to play and get opportunities. It’s a daily thing. ‘
On Monday, that meant Boone went with the same field configuration, with Odor in second place and DJ LeMahieu in first base.
And the left-wing swinging scent yielded three of the night’s hardest balls, including the Yankees’ first hit against south leg Robbie Ray.
While Jay Bruce shook to the plate and looked on first base, Boone said the veteran would ‘get in there again’ sometime ‘. ‘
Meanwhile, they want to take a closer look at the scent, which was acquired in a trade after he was appointed by the Rangers to stand up before the opening day. And Boone also praised for the ‘little lead and hunger with which he plays. It was cool to see. ”
Boone notes that Odor is young and has a good “first step” on the second base.
“I feel like the quality of the bat was there,” Boone said. ‘He’s had a lot of hard balls and likes the energy he brings to the field every day and the hunger with which he plays the game. He handled himself well on second base. He deserved some opportunities. ‘
Boone said conditions were “pretty good” at TD Ballpark, the Single-A Stadium where the Blue Jays play their home games due to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions.
“It did not feel like spring practice,” Boone said of Toronto’s spring practice site. “It felt like a real game.”
The lower decks of the stadium made it challenging for shakers and fielders in the twilight, Boone said.
Gerrit Cole said it was ‘good’.
Jameson Taillon said he had “paid attention” to the Blue Jays series against the English to see if the game on a single-A ballpark would have an impact on the game.
“It may sound cheesy, but I think you can put two big league teams in a municipal park and we will find a way to compete and make it work,” the right-hand man said. ‘It’s a division match and the Blue Jays are a hungry and young team. … We need to be ready to compete no matter where we play. ”
Taillon is still encouraged by his first outing and says he is particularly pleased with how he played fast ball and focused on being more aggressive with his curveball as he felt it got better during his first start.
Clarke Schmidt received a cortisone shot on Monday, Boone said in an effort to address the lingering discomfort the right-hand man has suffered after being locked with a strained elbow since February.
“They feel it should hopefully solve the problem of getting him over the last bump,” Boone said. “We expect that if it does work the next few days, he will have to throw later this week or next week.”
Before Aaron Hicks decided to sit out of Monday’s starting lineup due to the murder of a black man in Minneapolis by a police officer, the midfielder would reach sixth place, which would be the first time he was not third in the order was not. Boone said he goes with Giancarlo Stanton second and Aaron Judge third against left-handed Ray.
“It was a combination I’d been considering against left-handed throws since the spring,” Boone said of Stanton and Judge hitting second and third, respectively. “They are two excellent players, trying to maximize it against a difficult left-handed pitcher, as we are right-handed heavy.”
Boone said Hicks will continue to hit third against right-handed beginners.
‘I still like the way he tears [the lineup], ‘Said Boone. “I’m still confident he’s going to have a great year.”
Clint Frazier also returned to the series after playing two straight games.