AARON JUDGE IS THE HERO AGAINST THE ORIOLES

Last night was a long one for the Yankees and the Orioles with a few rain delays reminiscent of Yankees Opening Day, but this time the game was able to be finished.

At this point, the Yankees have had a 17-game win streak over the Orioles, and it was looking like it was going to be an easy 18. Luke Voit's grand slam helped put the team in the lead 5-0, but J.A. Happ gave up a pair of two-run homers, then Jonathan Loaisiga gave up another two-run shot which let the Yankees trail behind.

Aaron Judge wasn't going to let his previous strikeouts get to him, and knew he needed to make a big play. With the go-ahead runners on base, he gave one big swing.

“I knew this was my time to come up and forget about the past and come up big for my teammates,” Judge said on a Zoom call from Baltimore. “They were counting on me. It’s times like that you got to get the job done.”

His second home run of the year saved the Yankees and earned them their 18th straight win over the Orioles. Judge said he was inspired by watching DJ LeMahieu's single to the opposite field, putting him and Gio Urshela in a good spot to get the lead. 

“I had a good view of DJ’s base hit to right field. A lot of pitches, I was kind of pulling off, not really staying through it in the middle of the field,” Judge said. “Kind of seeing a nice swing from DJ locked me in. I just had to come up big.”

Next up, the Yankees are headed back home to play their rival Red Sox. Even though they won't be able to have fans to cheer them on, the team is looking forward to being back in New York.

"This team loves to play in New York, so we’re excited about that,” Judge said. “It’s definitely going to be different, Yankee home opener with no fans. That’s one thing I always look forward to every single year is that place gets rocking on Opening Day for us. During the intros, everything like that, it’s something special."

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke

PRESSURE BUILDING ON THE ASTROS... EVEN IN A SHORT SEASON WITH NO FANS

Ballplayers may be loyal to each other, but when it comes to cheating, I mean REALLY cheating like the Astros did... stealing signs and stealing a championship, I am relieved to see that the players don't forget.  

I think it's also refreshing because there are no fans in the ballparks.  So, it's essentially man to man. Peers settling the score on the field, be it with pitchers head hunting or just snide comments to the dopey Astros in the press.  It's the way it should be. Hell, they didn't get punished, and so the punishment really needs to be a good razzing and an uncomfortable career moving forward, orchestrated by their peers. Fellow teams settling the score. That's Manfred's fault. F them.

Joe Kelly did it knowing good and well he'd be suspended, a ridiculous rule Manfred put in place when Dusty Baker became the Astros new manager.  Here's the problem with that.... Rob Manfred is NOT a leader.  You can't sit there and not punish a team for cheating the league out of the biggest trophy and then nit-pick about punishment for players who throw at the Astros. 

He's a terrible leader... P.S., that asshole still owes me a phone call after I called his office about it. Still waiting. 

Joe Kelly threw at Bregman and Correa the other night and should have. Again,  F them.  

Orel Hershiser, the Dodgers pride and joy made a comment about Jose Altuve the other night as well.   I guess Preston Wilson didn't like it and attempted to take a shot on Twitter.

I faced Orel when he pitched for the Mets and everyone knew the way his pitches moved was not normal. Our whole team knew it so does he. The worst part was he had the audacity to send bibles over to clubhouse (autographed if I remember correctly). Maybe not the best messenger. https://t.co/iynNQKVnzF

— Preston Wilson (@PrestonWilson44) July 30, 2020

Look, autographed bibles are a little weird, but let's get back to the story at hand, tiny Altuve sucks without his garbage can.  And let me be more specific about this. Most of the Astros are solid hitters. They are in the major leagues, that's pretty much a solid overview. They are good players. The problem? 

They fell into the trap of depending on a garbage can to determine how they hit. Couple that with them afraid they're gonna lose their head in the batter's box, and suddenly they need to reinvent themselves and they can't do it fast enough. That's why you see more strikeouts, more uncomfortable dancing in the box. In other words, they did this to themselves, and now they have to live with it.   Well too bad.

Dusty Baker followed up with more from Joe Kelly the other night when he got into a spat with bitch Carlos Correa. Bleacher Report says:

" Houston manager Dusty Baker said Kelly, the L.A. reliever, shouted at shortstop Carlos Correa after a strikeout, causing both teams to come running onto the field.

After throwing near Correa's head earlier in the sixth-inning at-bat, Kelly came back with a knuckle-curve that sent him flailing for strike three to end the frame. Baker said Kelly shouted, "Nice swing, b---h," at the shortstop while walking off the mound, clearing out the benches."

So? Hey Dusty, do you think these ballplayers are happy about how the Astros presented themselves? You think they like the arrogance of them? After all, they cheated their way to a championship and got caught AND DIDN'T GET PUNISHED. If anything they need to be apologetic, not arrogant.  No once cares. Correa is a piece of garbage anyway.

We're starting to see cracks in the porcelain. These Astros players cannot sustain the pressure of fan hate and opponents coming down on them. George Springer may have hit a homer the other day, but that was his only hit all season. And now, suddenly he's "a little sore" after making a catch in the outfield, so he's getting a day off... IN A 60 GAME SEASON. Really Loser? No, the truth is the dude was in a slump because he's waiting for a garbage can to bang to determine what pitch to swing at. A 1-21 slump. Dummy.

MLB writes: "Mired in a 1-for-21 slump to start the season -- and nursing a sore knee -- Astros leadoff hitter George Springer was out of the starting lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Dodgers. Springer banged up one of his knees when he ran into the wall making a catch to rob José Marmolejos of a hit in the first inning Sunday against the Mariners."

Oh... poor baby. Bitch.

What's the point of this post? Pressure. Uncertainty. Keep it on them and they will eventually go away.

The Astros did this to themselves, and they and some of their ridiculous fans better get used to the new normal of feeling really uncomfortable in the batter's box moving forward. Because when it comes to baseball and getting something legitimately... players and true fans take that seriously.   These Asstros players are gonna have a hard time moving forward and it's a good thing, because maybe, just maybe it will clean up the game for the better.

I leave you with this idiot.

@NYYCarrie33 You need to fuck off dude. Seriously. Does that mask go over your entire face? You should be grateful the Asstros aren’t banned for life. Keep clinging to those losers. Real Great for your image. Align yourself with failure. Nice work.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) July 30, 2020

Sorry.... I couldn't sit quietly.

 

JOE KELLY IS SUSPENDED & HEYMAN GETS OWNED ON TWITTER!

So I'm sure we all know about the benches-clearing brawl that happened on Tuesday night between the Astros and the Dodgers. We've been waiting for it to happen. We've predicted it for MONTHS. Just in case you don't know about it, there's a good summary of it HERE.

Long story short, Joe Kelly threw at Alex Bregman, and then taunted Carlos Correa on his way back to the dugout. I have to admit, I am not mad at the taunting AT ALL. The Asstros earned that. Well now, MLB has said that Kelly has earned an 8 game suspension because of the incident. 8 games?! That's a big deal on a short 60 game season. 

Are any of us really surprised that the Dodgers and Asstros had it out? No, this was a matter of WHEN and not IF. I won't even start the debate on if I think Kelly was throwing intently at Bregman's head or if I think that is acceptable. Instead, let's just focus on Jon Heyman's take on this....because it's funny.

So I have come to the conclusion that Heyman just doesn't get it. NONE of it. I don't even think he can even tell us anything about 2017 other than the ASSTROS won the World Series and it doesn't even bother him that they cheated in the process.

Let's backtrack a second. I guess Heyman doesn't realize that the 2017 Red Sox played in the ALDS against the Astros and lost, right? If that slips your mind Heyman, it's time to retire. Oh and one more thing, you are right Kelly wasn't a Dodger but he played for *drumroll please* the RED SOX! 

Ya think he feels cheated a little bit? Yeah, like the rest of us do, but the Asstros eliminated them. Of course Kelly is fired up. He was robbed from playing in the ALCS! He also basically just told every other player that wasn't a Dodger in 2017 that they have no right to be angry about a scheme affected every team in baseball. Talk about an open mouth and insert foot situation.

Bregman, Correa, Jose Altuve and the entire Astros team gave all of baseball the middle finger and got away with a slap on the wrist and then they gave a half-ass apology. Our weak commissioner Rob Manfred dropped the ball, so Kelly picked it up and made a statement. He won't be the only one. 

So Heyman says Kelly "earned" his 8-game suspension and wants to know what's someone's head equivalent to. I got one for you Heyman....WHAT IS INTEGRITY WORTH? We know the Asstros franchise has none, Manfred doesn't believe in it and baseball has been damaged because of it. 

Get a clue, Heyman! Answer my question......I bet you can't.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

CHAPMAN'S RETURN? NO ONE KNOWS

2020 sucks.  Just putting that out there.  If 2020 was a pizza topping, it would be pubes.  That's how bad it is. I stole that from someone on Instagram... it describes this year perfectly.

Games are now cancelled... whiny Blake Snell is yelling I told you so. No one wants to get sick and no one should get sick, but we wanted baseball... and now players are getting sick.  It sucks. 

Aroldis Chapman had tested positive for COVID-19. You gotta wonder when he'll return.  The New York Post writes this:

"... the Yankees have been without All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who tested positive in early July after being negative during the intake testing. When a player tests positive, he has to have two tests come back negative before being allowed back onto the team.

Asked for an update on Chapman, Cashman said he wasn’t sure that was within the rules.

'I don’t think I am really allowed to give updates. The only thing I can tell you is that we are thankful he is doing well...'"

And that's really it. I mean the rules are strict and they should be, but the reality is it's a waiting game.  

And so... we navigate around to avoid the virus and we wait. It's all we can do. 

Stay tuned.

THE MARLINS COVID OUTBREAK SYMBOLIC OF JUST HOW SERIOUS THIS VIRUS IS

I'm tired of hearing that COVID-19 is like the flu or not as bad. I'm tired of hearing that people will walk into a store that makes a mask mandatory for entry, and the person, as selfish as they can be says "Well, I have rights" or "I have a medical condition". No you don't... you're just being a dick. 

Look, I don't like any of this, trust me, but I have seen too many people in my own community die, and some as young as 30 years old.  It's literally about to be August.  It's no better than it was in April. We need to get it together as a country and work together, not against each other.  The folks that are making this political, need to check themselves at the door. Do it for your neighbor. Do it for my parents. Just do it, it's the right thing to do. Follow the rules, just so we can get this over with.

This latest Marlins outbreak is pretty serious. But Miami is as a whole. Yahoo Sports Tim Brown writes:

"This is the world into which Major League Baseball rolled its operation. If you signed up for baseball in the summer of 2020, for an escape from reality, you signed up for a baseball team — fathers, husbands, sons, brothers and friends — holed up in hotel rooms, 1,200 miles from home, while people wearing masks, gloves and grim expressions knocked on their doors.

The Miami Marlins were tested for the coronavirus again Monday morning in Philadelphia, a day after they were tested (again), because suddenly too many of those tests were coming back positive, in waves, and already one flight home had been canceled and another was at least postponed, and the outbreak that could shut down a season had found them first.

A baseball game between the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles in Miami on Monday night was postponed. A game Monday night between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, where the Marlins had just spent three days on the field, in the dugout and in the clubhouse while at least a dozen players and personnel were carrying the virus, also was postponed.

This is bad, really bad, and so wholly predictable."

But what is the end game? What happens next? 

Well, nothing if we don't follow some rules.  Now I know, baseball is not full contact and it's much easier to play a game like baseball rather than football or basketball because of the contact. But what if there's a walk off?  Are we gonna expect a team so passionate about winning from not piling on each other? It's gonna happen.

Then I start to think... do we really need to bring baseball back? I mean we were all stir crazy and the reality is it turned into what WE wanted and not what the players wanted. And so, I ask you... did we jump the gun?  I don't think so personally. 

I mean, MLB did everything they could do with empty stadiums and masks and testing.  But here's the thing... it's not what they're doing that makes this dangerous... it's what the players and personnel are doing outside that realm.  Are they hanging with friends, not practicing social distancing and ALSO making it about me, me, me?  And for games players have to travel for, they're exposed. As Mattingly says “You feel safe at the ballpark; I feel safe with my surroundings going home... It’s a lot scarier on the road.”

The problem with this virus is everyone thinks they won't get sick. But they will.  

Who would have thought that wearing a mask on their face could help?  It's proven that it will. But not everyone is doing it.  And hey look... I'm not doctor, but I trust doctors. If I didn't I'd be dead a long time ago trying to diagnose stomach pain for tumors and stuff like that. My point is doctors are there to help us... not hurt us.  There is no hidden agenda. None. They are there to help save lives.  My advice? Listen. Listen... even if it's just a little, but do your part to make this better. 

Miami is a petri dish right now. I blame careless people, be it Floridians or folks from other states that think they can go on their vacation and visit there. But you're all ridiculous regardless. 

I know it's summer. I know we all want to have fun, but I gotta tell you something... sometimes you need to sacrifice, especially if it means protecting your young family or hoping to be part of the solution.

And stop making the mask political. It's not. It's a symbol of life right now. It's about being smart, not selfish. It's not about you. It's about us.  But somewhere along the lines we decided the "Me" culture was more important.  So important that Miami's about to explode and that's bad.

In the end, we need to make smarter choices. And Rob Manfred? He must be shitting his pants. He's already messed up the punishment for the Houston Astros... and now this COVID-19 season is quickly turning into a disaster. His legacy is a disaster as well. 

NJ.com writes:

“Everybody could opt out today,” Mattingly said. “I think it’s fair to say that guys are concerned about things, and they want their feelings to be heard. We’re talking about health, traveling back to their homes and their families and their kids.”

And if players start dropping out, will the MLB have enough to play? And if they don't, do we finally force Rob Manfred to resign? 

I'm the first guy to say that I wanted baseball back.  But this is not what we wanted. We don't want sick players capable of getting their families sick now.  We don't want teams postponing games and MLB personnel wondering if they're infected because they were in the dugout at some point.  We don't want more sick people.

And so I ask... without being political... without being nasty... is is smart to have an MLB Season in 2020? 

EVEN AARON BOONE "DOESN'T KNOW" ABOUT FRAZIER'S FUTURE

Is Clint Frazier the 31st man on a 30-man roster? Is he even 31? I don't know, and what's scarier here is neither does Aaron Boone.

Even with an expanded roster to start this unusual season, there isn't a clear path for Frazier. It's the same old story that Frazier has faced for years now.....where does he fit in? He was optioned down to their alternate training site after Saturday night's game along with Ben Heller. Aaron Boone's honest answer isn't very encouraging, especially not if you are Frazier and you happen to read it in the news. You can read about it in depth HERE.

Boone was honest and blunt. I admire an honest answer even when it isn't the answer you want to hear. It sucks to be both Frazier and Boone right now.

“I would say he’s great and a pro and I’m really proud of who he is right now and where’s he’s at. Doesn’t make it any less difficult. Again, you’re sending down a player who you know is ready to be an impact player in the big leagues. That’s a hard thing to do. Especially with the work he’s put in and the strides he’s made in every aspect of his game are real. So that’s a difficult one.”

And it must be even harder when you are sending down an impactful, major league ready bat but keep Miguel Andujar in left field for Sunday's game. I mean, I love that Andujar is back but he's never played a game in left field and he gets the call over Frazier. Maybe it wouldn't hurt as bad if Frazier had played in the previous two games, but that didn't happen either.

Then to top it all off, the Yankees plan to bring right-hand rookie relievers Nick Nelson and Brooks Kriske up to the roster who both pitched in Double-A last season. We can thank James Paxton's disappointing performance for that I guess. There's a reason for it....but if you are Frazier right now it probably doesn't make it easier to accept.

So when will we see Frazier? I don't know and neither does Boone. He called this decision "difficult" and believes "Clint's ready to be an impact player in this league. There's no doubt in my mind." He went on to say that Frazier is "just unfortunately, blocked right now with a lot of good outfielders."

He's not wrong, but a short 60 game season makes Frazier's future as a Yankee even cloudier. The Yankees have even less time to find an opportunity for him without a significant injury. We all don't want to see that happen, but unless it happens it is likely a reality.

So does this season really determine what happens to Frazier as a Yankee? Maybe. If the Yankees already acknowledge that he is "blocked" the trade rumors we have already seen for awhile aren't likely to go away. If anything they may intensify.

If the Yankees can't or choose not to use him....some other team will want to. Definitely not a good place to be in if you are Frazier, and it sucks. Guess we wait and see what happens.

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

HARD DAYS NIGHT IN NATIONALS PARK

It was clear that James Paxton was not himself. You could see it in his eyes. He didn't feel it. He looked uncomfortable and he couldn't get through two innings. Quite frankly, he set the tone of for the team. They didn't seem comfortable.  And so it was a hard days night in Nationals Park, but there's always tomorrow.

"Michael King, one of the candidates to start/open tomorrow's game, is warming in the #Yankees bullpen. James Paxton already at 40 pitches," tweeted Bryan Hoch during the broadcast last night.  Wouldn't have been smarter to bring in a long reliever? And if you are going to bring in King, who held the Nats over several innings, why not have Jordan Montgomery with you? I didn't agree with the decision to keep him off the roster for this big opening weekend. You can read that story here. Remember Paxton is coming off surgery. This is his first outing. Maybe a bit more careful planning?

The one guy that looks locked and loaded is ironically the guy that has looked and felt uncomfortable over the last year or so.  That guy blasted his second home run of the season last night. That guy is Giancarlo Stanton. His 483-foot blast halted everyone and the outfielders were frozen as the Stantonian home run blazed over them. "To put in perspective, it's one of the most authoritative home runs of the Statcast era (i.e., since 2015)," reported CBS Sports. As a matter of fact Stanton's home run last night was second on the list to his own back in 2018. So, poor start for Paxton, hot start for Stanton.

Unfortunately, a hot Stanton did not cancel out a rough start for Paxton. The tone was set and the Nationals took advantage of the Yankee pitchers as the Yankee bats went silent.  I hope this is not the kind of repeating behavior we will see in the coming days. Let's hope it is just a hard days night in Nationals Park and a better is ahead of the Yankees this afternoon.  Let's Go Yankees!

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Contributing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof

THE ASSTROS TRASH CAN CUTOUT SEEN 'ROUND THE WORLD

You gotta love how the Astros have fallen. You gotta love how they can't take it either. They are a pathetic bunch.  You want to know why I know them cheating has destroyed their reputation? Look at a kid like my son. A 17 year old working his ass off legitimately so he can play baseball in college.  He was a huge Correa and Altuve fan. He raved about Bregman and Springer for quite a few years.  Once the scandal was revealed... it's turned to disappointment and he thinks they are absolute garbage now.  That's a fan, folks. That's a fan that got burned.  And it's that simple folks.  So just think about how thousands upon thousands of fans feel. They are terrible people. 

Again...strip the title, they're losers.

I love this story by our gal, hottie Jessica Kleinschmidt about 1 baseball fan that has had enough.

"The A’s were scheduled to do a bleacher tribute giveaway while the Houston Astros were in town. But one fan wanted to make sure that wasn’t forgotten...

Bryan Johansen, of San Jose, is one of the fans who proudly creates detailed banners to support his favorite team, but when A’s president Dave Kaval invited the crew to hang some of these creations in their respective homes, Johansen noticed something.

Well, @SandLot408 wasn’t sure the A’s would actually print this, but apparently they did. pic.twitter.com/BkmdOhAoBs

— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) July 25, 2020

In one of the seats, sandwiched between two variations of Ramón Laureano, Johansen’s favorite A’s player, was Astros’ mascot Orbit … in a trash can. That was compliments of Johansen himself, who told NBC Sports California he didn’t think the A’s would actually print it out and display it...

The photos of his cutouts created a viral sensation."

Bottom line... we need more of stuff like this.  As far as I'm concerned this season, even though we can't actually be there to troll them... we need to continue to put pressure on the Asstros. They're pathetic.  They really are.

Love this dude for doing what he did.  I'm glad.  Keep it going.

THE YANKEES TAKE THE FIRST WIN OF 2020

After waiting four months for baseball to start, the Yankees were not even able to get a full game in against the Nationals thanks to some insane weather, however, the Yankees were able to secure the first win of 2020. Through five innings the Yankees were up 4-1 with some great plays by the team.

Thankfully with the extra time to prepare for the season, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks were able to heal from the injuries that would've otherwise kept them out of the beginning of the season. 

Sadly before the tarp was rolled out, the Yankees had runners on the corners with just one out but they were able to make some great plays before that. Stanton launched a two-run home run in the first inning off of Max Scherzer scoring Judge. Love this for the outfield duo.

The 2-0 lead was lost when 12 pitches into Gerrit Cole's New York career Adam Eaton hit a homerun. Cole was not too happy about this and was seen yelling into his glove after walking off of the field. On Wednesday Cole said he has actually had some trouble sleeping leading up to his Opening Day start due to the excitement of finally playing on the team he loved growing up, so it is understandable why he was irritated. But, the team was able to continue supporting Cole by taking advantage of a few mistakes from Scherzer to bring their lead to 4-1. 

It seems almost fitting that 2020 can't just let us win by letting us get a full game last night, but it is so exciting to finally have the sport we all love back. 

--Missy O'Rourke

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @missy_orourke

AARON JUDGE STILL LAMENTS LOSS TO ASTROS

With the 2020 season finally underway, Aaron Judge reflected on the Yankees' heartbreaking loss to the Astros during Game 6 of the last American League Championship Series. He and his teammates hope to return to baseball by achieving the victory they failed to win last year.

"It was a tough loss and I kind of just spoke to the team and I just said "Hey guys, don't forget this feeling. Don't forget this emptiness. You're mad. You're thinking about what we could have done different...As we get ready for the 2020 season, remember that you don't want this feeling again,"" Judge said to his teammates. "And then [I asked] "What can we do? What can we do differently to prepare the right way so that outcome doesn't happen again. You watch the film, you learn what you need to work on, focus on, and then you move forward.""

"And that's what we're going to try to do now is learn from our mistakes and move forward into this 2020 season and do what needs to [be done], kind of get past that, to that next step," said Judge.

Ever since their shattering loss, Judge and his teammates have been committed to improve themselves for the next season. Even though the world came to a grinding halt due to the pandemic, the Yankees continued to practice to make their comeback from such a haunting defeat.

"It was one of the most heartbreaking emotional times of my sports career," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. "It was such a raw life moment and the closeness that existed with that team, the belief that "All the way to the end we're going to win," I felt like was how everyone felt. So the cruel ending of it all...I do remember Judgey in his way, in a strong way, saying that to us."

"I think that just added to the sting, to how real that moment was and and I always feel like falling down does add another log to their fire," said Boone. "That certainly was the case and I feel like in spring training and now in summer camp. I'm witnessing that fire burning, burning strongly with these guys."

We'll all see whether or not that fire will burn bright enough for the Yankees to win in their season opener against the Nationals tonight.

--Anthony Orlando

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @landi52orlando

THE YANKEES OPTION FOR MONTGOMERY IS ALL ABOUT STRATEGY!

I'm not worried about the Jordan Montgomery move at all....and neither should you. It's not a shocking move, actually. This is nothing but a strategy move, and it says nothing about how the Yankees feel about Montgomery. Monty is absolutely part of the Yankees plans THIS season. This isn't a demotion, it's just smart strategy.

There's no reason to panic here, and I won't even call this a demotion because it is not. It's just a strategy and MLB.com explained it best, "The move to option Montgomery stemmed from the club's decision not to use a fifth starter during the first turn through the rotation. It is expected that Montgomery will be recalled prior to the Yanks' sixth game of the season, the July 29 home opener against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium."

Simply put, the Yankees don't need him right away. Due to the off day on Friday they won't need Monty until game 6 (as MLB.com mentioned). The Yankees have an off day tomorrow, so there is no real need for a fifth starter until a second time through the rotation. We have expanded rosters for the first few weeks, there is no point clogging it with a starter that isn't going to pitch right away. It makes sense to carry the extra bullpen arm right now.

Aaron Boone has hinted at doing a bullpen game and starting with Mike King, or someone else. It's not a surprise, we saw it work well last season with Chad Green and because of that the Yankees have confidence in this strategy. King also pitched well against the Mets this weekend. Boone has had success with it, so there's no reason to believe it can't be done again, especially after a good summer camp. It's also not a bad idea to have an extra reliever at the beginning of the season.

The Yankees also want to play it safe with Monty. He's coming back from Tommy John and missed a lot of time. There's no reason to push him too much when the Yankees have additional arms that they can use for the first couple weeks. Monty will be close by in Scranton, and will likely get additional tune-up work and maybe even a simulated game and if MLB.com is right about starting in Philly, we won't miss him for long.

The Yankees can take their time with Monty, he has options and they can send him to their alternate site for a short time and if it is just for a short time it won't even affect his service time. It's a win-win for both the Yankees and a player coming back from injury. They can't take this same approach with say J.A. Happ. The Yankees were always going to use him because they can't send him down. Looking at the starting rotation, if the Yankees were going to make this temporary adjustment then Monty is the right choice.

The Yankees know what they are doing. This isn't about Monty not earning his spot on the team. He has and he knows it. Monty is the Yankees fifth starter, just not for opening week and that's not a big problem. This isn't a demotion at all, so we shouldn't call it one. The Yankees have an expanded roster, numbers say he fits but not for week one when the Yankees don't need an extra starter. We will see Monty soon....in fact, I will even bet money on it!

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

JORDAN MONTGOMERY DEMOTED

Source: NJ.com

I am as shocked as you. I watched Jordan Montgomery pitch with efficiency, precision and control against the New York Mets on Sunday. I saw him strike out NL Rookie of the Year, Pete Alonso. I saw him pick off Michael Conforto with a move like I haven't seen since Andy Pettitte.  I was excited for his contribution this season.  I have been waiting. And I guess I am going to wait some more.

Source: NY Post

According to MLB.com, "The move to option Montgomery stemmed from the club’s decision not to use a fifth starter during the first turn through the rotation. It is expected that Montgomery will be recalled prior to the Yanks’ sixth game of the season, the July 29 home opener against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium." 

It appears the Yankees will go with a rotation of Gerrit Cole, James Paxton and Mike King or perhaps an opener for the first three games of the season. Mike King also pitched well in the first of two contests against the Mets this passed weekend.  But, Montgomery was amazing, keeping his pitch count down, and throwing a 2-hit, scoreless five innings.

“I just did my best to do as many ups and downs as I could and just elongated bullpens,” Montgomery said. “It's weird; arm strength-wise, I feel the best I've felt in a long time. I didn't take any time off during quarantine, so now it's trying to fine-tune my command and the offspeed [pitches], really,” reported MLB.com.

Even it is expected to be temporary, Montgomery should be with the team.  He earned the spot. He battled back from Tommy John Surgery and he is clearly confident and ready. Roster spots are limited, of course, but he should be in the rotation.  I simply don't understand.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof