BOSTON (AP) – Yankees manager Joe Girardi is staying with his plan to start Alex Rodriguez for Thursday’s series finale at Fenway Park despite a change in Boston’s rotation.
“Yes, he will,” Girardi said a couple of hours before New York faced the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Boston instead of knuckleballer Steven Wright because the right-hander jammed his pitching shoulder while diving into a base as pinch runner in an interleague game against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.
“It’s about winning the games,” Girardi said when asked if he liked the matchup. “That’s what it’s always about here. It’ll continue to be that way.”
Girardi then went on to answer about 12 minutes of questions why A-Rod wasn’t starting the first two games of the series. The Yankees said Sunday that Rodriguez will be released following Friday’s homestand opener against Tampa Bay. The 41-year-old designated hitter, who has 696 home runs, didn’t play in a 5-3 loss in Tuesday.