DUNEDIN, Florida – Rougned Odor’s bet with the Yankees began at a promising start.
After delivering the starting shot in Sunday’s win over the Rays, Odor launched the Yankees offensive in Monday’s 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, with only one single in the fifth.
“All his bats were pretty competitive,” Boone said. “I liked how he moved on the field and made a beautiful double play. He will play and get opportunities. It’s an everyday thing. ”
On Monday, that meant Boone went with the same setup inside, with Odor at second and DJ LeMahieu at first base.
And the left-left scent delivered three of the hottest balls of the night, including the Yankees’ first hit against Robbie Ray.
While Jay Bruce looked shaky at the plate and at first base, Boone said the veteran will return “at some point.”
In the meantime, they want to take a closer look at Odor, which was acquired in a trade after it was designated to be assigned by the Rangers before opening day. Boone also praised “the little advantage and the hunger with which he plays. It was cool to see. ”
Boone mentioned that Odor is young and has a good “first step” at second base.
“I feel the quality was there,” Boone said. “He had strong balls and he likes the energy he brings every day on the field and the hunger with which he plays the game. He did well at second base. He won several opportunities. ”
Boone said conditions were “pretty good” at TD Ballpark, the Single-A stadium where the Blue Jays play their home games because of Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions.
“It didn’t feel like spring training,” Boone said of the spring training site in Toronto. “It seemed like a real game”
The lower points of the stadium made it challenging for both hitters and dusk players, Boone said.
Gerrit Cole said it was “good.”
Jameson Taillon said he “paid attention” to the Blue Jays series against the Angels to see if playing at a Single-A stadium would have an impact on the game.
“It may sound cheesy, but I think you can put two major league teams in a municipal park and we’ll find a way to compete and make it work,” the right-hander said. “It’s a division match, and Blue Jays are a young and hungry team. … We have to come out ready to compete, no matter where we play. ”
Taillon was encouraged by his first outing and said he was particularly pleased with the way he played his fast and focused on being more aggressive with his curve as he felt he improved during his first start.
Clarke Schmidt received a cortisone shot Monday, Boone said, in an attempt to address the persistent discomfort he feels right after being locked in with a tense elbow in February.
“They think we hope this should solve the problem to get over the final hump,” Boone said. “We expect that if he works in the next few days, he should start throwing a little later this week or next week.”
Before Aaron Hicks decided to give up the starting line on Monday due to the murder of a black man in Minneapolis by a police officer, the central midfielder should have finished sixth, which would have marked the first time he was third in order. . Boone said he goes with Giancarlo Stanton in second and Aaron Judge third against left-hander Ray.
“It was a combination we considered against left-handed pitching in the spring,” Boone said of Stanton and Judge, who hit second and third, respectively. “They are two great players and given how heavy we are on the right, try to maximize this against a tough left-handed player.”
Boone said Hicks will continue to hit the third in place of those with his right hand.
“I still like the way they break up [the lineup]”I’m still very confident he’ll have a great year,” Boone said.
Clint Frazier also returned to the line after two consecutive games.