Ortiz was helped off the field after fouling a ball off the midpoint of his right shin during a ninth-inning at-bat Wednesday.
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As the 41-year-old Rodriguez prepares for what appears to be his final game against the Red Sox as a member of the New York Yankees at Boston on Thursday, the 27-year-old Pineda is hoping to reverse his Fenway fortunes. Tests after the game were negative, though Ortiz is not expected to play Thursday.
A free agent at the end of the season, Bautista is batting.222 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs.
“It’s about winning the games”, Girardi said when asked if he liked the matchup.
NY manager Joe Girardi defended his decision not to start Alex Rodriguez in the first two games of the series in Boston.
Entering Wednesday’s game against the Yankees, Boston’s relief corps ranked fourth in the majors with a 2.55 ERA since July 6 – including a 1.54 ERA (four earned runs) over the club’s last 12 games.
“Any time you lose a guy that’s going to the Hall of Fame, that’s going to hurt pretty bad”, said Betts, his calf hurting less than it did when he awoke Wednesday but troublesome nonetheless.
“I feel much better that he’s OK, no question”, Dombrowski said, speaking for an entire organization. “Hopefully he can get well”. Yankees RHP Nathan Eovaldi left his start on Wednesday with elbow discomfort and will be sent back to NY for further testing.3. Rodriguez will play his final game in pinstripes at home on Friday before being released.
“It’s frustrating, it’s concerning, but we really won’t know anything until probably (Thursday) night”, Girardi said.
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Lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Boston instead of knuckleballer Steven Wright on Thursday because the righthander jammed his pitching shoulder over the weekend. The southpaw has pitched well against the Yankees in his young career, going 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA in five starts against them. The 23-year-old is 0-2 in his last four starts and was knocked out of Saturday’s game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning while being charged with three runs on eight hits and a walk. Carlos Martinez (10-7, 3.29) pitches for St. Louis looking to rebound after allowing seven runs over five innings in a 13-5 loss to Atlanta.
