The Yankees are finally hot, so why mess with what’s working, right?
Wrong.
Manager Aaron Boone remains committed to starting Gary Sanchez as a frequently-used No. 2 catcher, so Kyle Higashioka will be resting on Wednesday night when the Yankees take a season-high four-game winning instead into the the middle game of their series with the Houston Astros.
First pitch at Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised by YES.
This will be the third start in eight games for Sanchez since Boone announced that Higashioka will be playing more.
The Yankees are 9-2 this season when Higashioka starts compared to 6-10 when Sanchez is in the lineup. Yankees pitchers have a 1.78 ERA throwing to Higashioka and a 3.92 ERA with Sanchez catching. Also, Higashioka’s hitting and fielding stats are better.
The pitching matchup is Jordan Montgomery (1-11, 4.39) for the Yankees and Luis Garcia (0-3, 2.70) for the Astros.
Besides Sanchez starting, the Yankees’ lineup also includes Mike Ford at first base and Brett Gardner in left field. Slumping left fielder Clint Frazier is sitting.
Here is the Yankees’ lineup:
1. DJ LeMahieu, 2B
2. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
3. Aaron Judge, RF
4. Gio Urshela, 3B
5. Gleyber Torres, SS
6. Mike Ford, 1B
7. Aaron Hicks, CF
8. Gary Sanchez, C
9. Brett Gardner, LF
Jordan Montgomery, LHP
Here is the Astros’ lineup:
1. Jose Altuve, 2B
2. Michael Brantley, LF
3. Alex Bregman, 3B
4. Yordan Alvarez, DH
5. Carlos Correa, SS
6. Yuli Gurriel 1B
7. Aledmys Diaz, RF
8. Myles Straw, CF
9. Jason Castro, C
Luis Garcia, RHP
Here are recent Yankees post on NJ Advance Media to check out:
— Rougned Odor heads to injured list, Albert Abreu summoned in over Miguel Andujar
— Worth a shot? Yankees, Mets offering free ticket with COVID vaccine at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field
— Yankees farm report: Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells have smashing debuts for Tampa
— Scranton/Wilkes-Barre grooming Miguel Andujar for Yankees reunion: ‘That bat could really impact’
— What Astros expect from Yankees fans for rest of series after rowdy opener
— Luke Voit ‘looked great, felt great’ raking for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Opening Night
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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
