Last night, Michael Pineda return to a Spring Training mound for the first time in nearly two full years following shoulder surgery. He was impressive, or so we’ve heard. The game was not televised but the always fun anonymous scout quotes indicated he looked strong and better than he did the last time we saw him, in the weeks before he blew out his shoulder.
This afternoon, another one of the Yankees’ promising young starters will return to the mound. Left-hander Manny Banuelos is scheduled to throw an inning after missing most of the last two years with elbow problems, first a bone bruise and then Tommy John surgery. He threw in simulated games and in Instructional League last fall, but this is his first time in something that resembles a competitive environment. It’s easy to forget Banuelos is still only 22 after all the lost time. Getting him back and healthy would be a big boost to the organization going forward.
The Yankees are on the road this afternoon, making the short-ish trip up to Kissimmee to play the Astros. Mark Teixeira is in the lineup for the second time as he works his way back from wrist surgery, and Scott Sizemore is starting a game for the first time this spring. He’s missed most of the last two years due to back-to-back torn left ACLs. Dexter Fowler, Jose Altuve, and Jason Castro are all in Houston’s lineup. Hard-throwing righty Jarred Cosart will be on the hill for them. Here’s the Yankees’ starting lineup:
- CF Brett Gardner
- 2B Eduardo Nunez
- 1B Mark Teixeira
- DH Kelly Johnson
- C Frankie Cervelli
- SS Dean Anna
- 3B Scott Sizemore
- LF Zoilo Almonte
- RF Mason Williams
And on the mound is right-hander Ivan Nova, who was very impressive last time out. As good as I’ve ever seen him, regular season or otherwise. He’s probably scheduled for something like four innings or 65 pitches.
Available Pitchers: LHP Manny Banuelos, LHP Cesar Cabral, RHP David Herndon, and LHP Fred Lewis are all scheduled to pitch. Herndon, a sleeper for one of the open bullpen spots, will be making his spring debut after missing most of last season due to Tommy John surgery. RHP Chase Whitley, RHP Chris Leroux, RHP Mark Montgomery, and RHP Danny Burawa also made the trip and are available if needed.
Available Position Players: C Austin Romine, 1B Corban Joseph, 2B Jose Pirela, SS Yangervis Solarte, 3B Zelous Wheeler, LF Ramon Flores, CF Antoan Richardson, RF Adonis Garcia, and DH Peter O’Brien will all come off the bench to replace the starters. C Francisco Arcia, C/1B Jose Gil, and C Gary Sanchez also made the trip.
It’s sunny with temperatures in the upper-60s in Kissimmee, so good weather for baseball. Today’s game will be broadcast live on MLB Network and MLB.tv, but not the YES Network. YES usually doesn’t travel for Spring Training games. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 1pm ET and, by the way, the new expanded replay system will be available. Enjoy the game.
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