The Yankees will push struggling starter Javier Vazquez back this weekend to avoid pitching against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, opting to use Phil Hughes on Friday.Vazquez will instead take the mound against the Tigers on Monday at Comerica Park, after throwing a pair of side sessions on Tuesday and Friday that manager Joe Girardi said would be higher intensity than usual.
Girardi spoke to Vazquez on Monday at Yankee Stadium about the decision, and though he campaigned to get back on a mound as quickly as possible, Girardi believes that after five starts it is time to try something different.
"He wants to get back out there and pitch, and that's how I would expect him to be," Girardi said. "I just thought he could use a little time to catch his breath."
Smart move by the Yanks.
Sorry for the back-to-back Javier Vazquez posts, but I found this pretty relevant. According to Mark Hale, the Yankees are leaning towards skipping Javier Vazquez's start in Boston this week. To me, this is a no-brainer. The Yankees have Thursday off, so skipping him wouldn't create any issues with the rest of the rotation, plus throwing Javy in Fenway against the Sox is a recipe for disaster.
