One of the prize jewels of the Sox’s pitching staff performed too well Wednesday to bring him back on short rest Sunday.
In beating the New York Yankees 5-3 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader, rookie left-hander John Danks cemented his presence in the rotation against one of the American League’s most formidable lineups.
Although Danks threw only 88 pitches in 6R innings, manager Ozzie Guillen deemed his future too promising for him to pitch Sunday against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
“I want to keep this kid fresh all year long,” Guillen said after Danks, 22, limited the Yankees to two runs. “He’s a baby. I don’t want to overuse him.”
Jose Contreras also pitched himself out of consideration by throwing 100 pitches in 6S innings of the nightcap. He left with a 4-1 deficit in a game the Yankees won 8-1.
The Yankees put the game away in the ninth with four runs off Andrew Sisco.
Backup catcher Gustavo Molina provided one of the few Sox highlights in the second game with his first major-league hit.
Danks (2-4) exploited a Yankees offense that fell to 3-7 against left-handed starters, including a 1-4 mark in their past five games against lefties.
Danks said he would “love” to face the Cubs. “I want to pitch that series, but let them make the final decision,” he said.
The most likely candidate on the 25-man roster to start would be Nick Masset, whose longest outing was 4S innings against Cleveland on April 5.
