Rays at Yankees
Yankee Stadium was shrouded in snow Monday, forcing the postponement of New York's home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The teams are now scheduled to meet up Tuesday, although rain and cold temperatures are expected and could damper the home debut for Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
The 2017 Major League home run king crushed a pair of homers in his debut with New York to lift them to a season-opening win at Toronto last week, but was 1-for-9 in the next three games as the Yankees split the four-game set with the Blue Jays. New York led 4-1 into the seventh inning Sunday before the bullpen faltered for the second straight day in a 7-4 defeat. The Yankees are 16-4 in home openers since 1998 and will take on a Tampa Bay squad that managed three runs over the course of three straight losses to the Boston Red Sox. Tampa Bay was planning on using reliever Austin Pruitt as the starter before the postponement, which allows them to turn to Chris Archer on Tuesday.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Chris Archer (0-0, 6.00 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Jordan Montgomery (2017: 9-7, 3.88)
Archer gave up four runs and six hits with six strikeouts in six innings against the Red Sox on Thursday. He was 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA in four starts against the Yankees last season, including one outing in the Bronx in which he fanned 10 batters in six innings. The 29-year-old owns a 2.96 ERA in 17 career encounters with New York and Stanton is 0-for-6 with two strikeouts against Archer.
Montgomery struck out 144 and allowed 140 hits in 155 1/3 innings during a solid rookie campaign in 2017. He was 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 15 starts at Yankee Stadium, including six innings of one-run ball against the Rays on Sept. 26 to pick up his ninth and final win of the year. The 25-year-old posted a 3.43 mark in six spring training appearances to help lock down the last spot in the rotation.
WALK-OFFS
1. New York C Gary Sanchez is hitless in his last 11 at-bats.
2. Yankees 3B Brandon Drury slugged a two-run homer Sunday and is 5-for-13 with four RBIs through the first four games.
3. Rays RH Yonny Chirinos made his major league debut a memorable one with four scoreless innings of relief against the Red Sox on Sunday.