Hyde on lineup, Mullins, Mancini and closer role

NEW YORK - Orioles manager Brandon Hyde continues to switch players around the field and in the lineup. Not much has changed since Sarasota except for the weather and the importance of the games.

Also, the intent.

Trey Mancini is in right field for the first time since making two starts in 2017, the most recent at Yankee Stadium. Joey Rickard shifts over to center field. Chris Davis is playing again after a day spent on the bench.

"I'm going to match up and move guys around still," Hyde said.

"Today was just a little bit of Mancini playing with a little smaller park out there in right, D-Smith (Dwight Smith Jr.) being more comfortable in left. He's been playing more there in his career. Trey is just as comfortable in right field.

"I'm not doing this just to see to see guys play all over like spring training. This is more what we feel like is best from a matchup standpoint trying to win the game today. And we feel like this is the best combination defensively for Dylan (Bundy), for the ballpark factors, for a lot of reasons."

Davis sat against left-hander James Paxton, but he's playing today despite being 4-for-25 with 12 strikeouts versus southpaw J.A. Happ.

Cedric Mullins has been out of the lineup the past two games after starting in center field on opening day. The switch-hitter was 7-for-45 (.156) batting from the right side last summer and 34-for-130 (.262) from the left, parroting his minor league splits.

"I know he's still working on his right-handed swing," Hyde said. "I think he's shown a lot of progress in that. He's going to get right-handed at-bats. Just with today with Happ, I just wanted to get Smitty back in there, to be honest with you. I wanted to get CD back in there. Trey and Rickard are playing the outfield with Nunie (Renato Núñez) DHing.

"I talked to Cedric today. This isn't a set deal left-right situation. I'm going to be doing it on matchups and there's a good chance he's playing the next three days in Toronto. Everybody's going to play and everybody's going to get at-bats. We're going to match up night to night and try to win the game. That's kind of what I'm used to. And we're going to go from there."

The Blue Jays were starting left-hander Clayton Richard on Monday, but will replace him with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley because of a stress reaction in Richard's right knee. Right-hander Marcus Stroman will start the following day.

Mancini can be expected to move from left to right and also get at-bats at first base, as he did yesterday, and in the designated hitter role while Mark Trumbo is on the injured list.

"I don't know Trey that great yet and we're still trying to figure a lot of things out," Hyde said. "Right now with the way our roster is, he's going to play in multiple spots. But I love the at-bats he takes, I love how he prepares day to day, I love how he plays with no fear. The ultimate team guy. So as of right now he's going to play in a few spots and he's going to give you some pro at-bats every night."

Hyde didn't anoint a closer in spring training and the role remains fluid. Mychal Givens warmed in the sixth inning yesterday, worked the eighth and departed after the Orioles took a 5-1 lead. Mike Wright replaced Richard Bleier with one out and notched his first career save in a 5-3 win.

"As of right now, we're trying to win the game, so whoever's closing the ninth inning, we're trying to win the game with whoever that is," Hyde said. "It might change over the course of the year. I'm not really sure. It might be a guy who steps in and all of a sudden I just want him to pitch the ninth inning. But as of right now, we're going to try to piece it together the best way we can and whoever gets the save that night, that's who it is.

"There are certain guys that I'm going to use in big spots. Against the meat of their order there are certain guys that I have highlighted that I want to face certain hitters against them. But when it comes to a lockdown closer right now, we're not there yet. We don't have (Aroldis) Chapman, we don't have (Mariano) Rivera, we don't have (Brandon) Morrow. We don't have those types of guys right now that I'm just going to throw in the ninth inning.

"So it's just going to be fluid as we go along and maybe someone sticks into it, but as of right now, it's going to change a little bit."

For the Yankees
Brett Gardner CF
Aaron Judge RF
Giancarlo Stanton LF
Luke Voit DH
Miguel Andújar 3B
Gary Sánchez C
Greg Bird 1B
Gleyber Torres SS
DJ LeMahieu 2B

J.A. Happ LHP